


The Way Your Skin Meets Mine

by 99CANDY



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Friends to Lovers, Hotels, Kissing, M/M, Sexual Tension, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, Weekend Getaway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27626030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/99CANDY/pseuds/99CANDY
Summary: "Ready, set—""No, no, hold on," Donghyuck interrupts him. "Who says you get to call it? Why can't I?"Mark rolls his eyes and says, "go ahead. Do it if you want to.""No, it's fine. You go."Mark presses his lips together as he stares at the smirk on Donghyuck's face. He thinks he's going to lose it if he doesn't kiss Donghyuck by the end of the night.( Or: Mark and Donghyuck spend a weekend in a nearby hotel to get away for a bit. )
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 50
Kudos: 563





	The Way Your Skin Meets Mine

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided I wanted to write a short canon fic last week... planned for it to be around 4k and it ended up being... well, this. 
> 
> Sorry for any errors on here. There is a LOOOOT of words lol. Please just ignore them :) 
> 
> If you enjoy, please leave me kudos and comments! Thank you for your timeeeee

Underneath the warm skin of Mark’s back is a trembling ache, smoothing over the course of his muscles. He arches lightly on his cool sheets, desperately trying to pull away from the pain he is feeling, but nothing drags him as far as he needs to be. He flattens the curve of his back against his mattress and draws in a breath to hold. He lets it out as soon as his eyes come open, meeting the blank walls of his room, ears throbbing to a point until he hears nothing but silence.

Only then does he hear the slight drumming sound against the floor, like toes against wood, or someone skidding across the kitchen. His eyelids squeeze tight as he reaches for a pillow to cover over the top of his head, trying to rid the sounds that continue to come.

The noise machine sits patiently on his bedside table, radiating ambient noises—white noise, with a little bit of rain sounds peeking through. The combination is soothing, but not enough to drown out what is keeping him awake. With not even a second slipping past him, Mark’s body twists and soon he’s cranking up the volume on the machine, just until he hears nothing but tingling in his ears.

When the sounds refuse to leave, he swallows and slaps the pillow to his waist. Mark sits up and rocks back and forth in his bed, purposely making his headboard hit aggressively into the wall, just hoping, really  _ hoping  _ that whoever is making the noise would be able to hear it and shut the hell up for the night.

He whines a little, propping his chin up on the pillow. His eyelids grow heavy in a matter of seconds before he hears the sound again.

_ Dammit. _

Mark tosses the blankets off of his body and drops his mouth open in a low grunt.

His hand hits the lightswitch in the kitchen. As he suspected, there's absolutely no one there.

The kitchen is messy, but it’s not uncommon.

Nothing appears out of the ordinary, nothing shows signs that someone had just been cooking, or washing dishes—clearly. He just sighs and stretches his neck from side to side as the light above his head flickers in curiosity. 

Mark isn't breathing hard, but he's covering his hand over his stomach and inhaling the air that makes him feel numb, the air that he wishes would help him drift off into a slumber. His hands wrap around the handle of the fridge as he reaches in for the milk, but his forehead quilts in frustration when he finds that it's only half a sip from running empty.

“Are you fucking kidding,” he mutters under his breath.

Relief pours through him when he notices something behind the container of milk. 

"Oh, thank you," Mark yanks the empty carton from its position and tosses it toward the sink so he can rinse it out later, all before he's grabbing the full one behind it, lid half on. "I swear," he mutters when he comes to realize that everyone else had already skipped out on throwing the first one out to just reach behind for the other. "How damn hard is it."

He doesn't say anymore. He just finds a bowl—a clean bowl—and pours some cereal into it.

Luckily, the box is still full, still fresh. He's really the only one who eats it and seals it up when he's done.

Mark eats in a gentle silence as his eyes start to flutter closed.

Mark's sleepy silence calls for some deep thinking. His mind drifts off, wonders about the future, stomach twirling and coiling with nerves that make him want to bite down on his tongue. His thoughts go tumbling off his head when he shakes from side to side, desperate to just flip the switch so sleep can creep up on him. He’s staring down into his bowl of cereal next, finishing it off with his last bite, focusing in on the noise he hears again. The same thumping, same tapping sounds. 

But this time, he knows it’s coming from Donghyuck’s room. 

He visibly relaxes almost immediately, taking in the thought that it’s just  _ him. _

Mark knows that Donghyuck isn't rooming with anyone right now, not for the next couple of weeks.

There's a lot of construction going on with the dorms, a lot of shifting with roommates. The majority of the members are able to spend a lot of time alone during the break period that they have, so it makes it easy for rooming situations. 

Mark gets his bedroom, Donghyuck has his.

It's peaceful to be able to have space like this, but being close all the time means they find each other slipping into rooms that aren’t theirs quite often anyway, staying up until the late hours in the morning playing games and reminiscing about old and fond memories.

Mark lacks hesitation in his steps as he walks to the unpainted door of Donghyuck’s bedroom, the room where he’s sure he hears more of the same mutter of heavy thumps. He gives two knuckle raps against the door to let the owner of the room know that he's entering.

Thankfully, Donghyuck's headset is tilted half off his ears, because now he's grinning over at Mark, directing his eyes away from his screen as he gives him a confused look.

"Mark," he rubs his eyes with the side of his fist, back popping as he stretches in his chair. "What are you—what's up?"

Mark has a water bottle latched tight in one hand, still unopened. He decides to hand it off, seeing as Donghyuck probably hasn't even stepped away from his computer in a few hours.

He’s probably thirsty and Mark has always been one to make sure he’s being taken care of. 

"You've been tapping your feet like crazy against the floor," Mark points to where Donghyuck's bare feet are flat on the wood.

Donghyuck turns his lips down and looks at his feet. 

"Nuh uh,” He defends himself, going back and forth between a solid toe-slap on the floor. He then runs his hands over his face. "Oh."

Mark sits down on the edge of his bed.

"Yeah, man," he swallows. "It's been keeping me up."

Donghyuck decides to shut down his computer at the sight of Mark in his bedroom. He drinks from the water bottle, too. Nearly gulps the whole thing down. 

He wipes his forearm across his lips. 

Mark  _ stares. _

"Really? It's that loud? I was just... I was losing, sorry,” Donghyuck gestures back to his dark screen.

Mark lies back onto the bed, only lifting his chin for a moment to follow the motion of Donghyuck’s hand. 

He shrugs. 

"It wasn't that bad, I just kept noticing it because I couldn't focus on like... actually sleeping."

Donghyuck stays quiet as he removes his headset. 

He swivels around in his chair and looks at Mark, watches the way he's probably letting out a puff of air with every movement he makes. Mark even wonders if Donghyuck thinks he's in pain, or if he is just riding on the fact that he is tired. In the end, both are true.

"What are you doing up?" Donghyuck finally questions him, crossing his legs by tucking one under the other.

Mark turns on his side, the cool padding of Donghyuck's mattress suddenly feeling more comfortable to him—softer, gentler, breezier, like something he thinks he wants to fall asleep on rather than his own. He sucks in his bottom lip and then sighs.

"Wanted a snack," Mark says nonchalantly. "Then I heard your griping about losing."

"My griping?" Donghyuck snickers. "I wasn’t whining, I was just tapping my feet a little."

Mark gives up.

"Yeah."

Silence comes between them. It’s being woven so gently, so delicately, almost protecting the two of them. Donghyuck watches him snuggle into the blankets like he's making himself at home.  _ He is _ . He always has done this in other people's beds, because his own mattress starts to feel foreign to him at times.

"Shit," Donghyuck takes a look at his phone. "It really is the middle of the night."

Mark's eyes stay closed, stay staring at the stars he sees behind his closed eyelids. He just listens to Donghyuck's voice as he goes on to talk about the time, how long he's been gaming, and how he should really get some sleep soon.

"Are you sure you weren't worried about something?" Donghyuck's voice seems sweeter this time. 

Closer, too.

Mark looks up to find him. 

He opens his eyes to see Donghyuck frowning at him, changing into something warmer that'll keep him cozy for the majority of the night.

Mark has always adored that about Donghyuck.

No matter the temperature, or how warm it is  _ inside,  _ he'll always wrap himself up in his warmest clothes so he can sleep comfortably. He ends up sweating sometimes, but he never minds it (or so he tells everyone.) He'll just end up showering the next morning anyway.

God, Mark can't stop thinking about how Donghyuck loves morning showers.

It's like he doesn't even give himself a few moments to relax, he's just awake, up, and in the shower, no time for anything else.

Any time Mark has shared a hotel with him he's always ended up grumpy in the morning because Donghyuck has woken up at ass o'clock in the morning just to take a damn shower.

"Mark," Donghyuck pokes him in the back.

He hisses and draws back from the touch.

Donghyuck's eyes tremble with worry as his fingers pull away from Mark's skin.

With fear that Mark has scared his friend, he turns onto his back and just blinks up at him, frowning. He tries to speak to Donghyuck with only the color of his eyes, with just the silence over them in the room. He trusts that Donghyuck can read him right now.

"Is something the matter?” Donghyuck's voice pushes through like he's more concerned than fearful. "You know you can talk to me. I may be a little tired, but I can still listen to you."

Mark chuckles at his attempt. He smiles too, nodding his head and resting his hands over his belly button. 

“I’m just so exhausted and tense right now, and my shoulders hurt to the point where I can’t even get comfortable in bed. You know?” He pauses. “I wanna sleep but I can’t— I just can’t fall asleep. I guess because of all of that.”

Mark admits as much as he can in front of Donghyuck. And really, that's all he needs to admit because it's the truth. His body is aching, he's still too tight, too sore from performing the few weeks—from dancing, and then sleeping in all the wrong positions.

Donghyuck’s smile is small and contemptuous. He lifts the left side of his mouth and takes a deep breath. 

"Do you want me to give you a back massage?"

"A what?"

"A massage, dude," he blinks, wonder going through the center of his eyes and over the full length of his expression. "I can help you rub your back if you'd like me to. I'm not bad at it."

Mark furrows his brows at the idea.

He hardly spends any time thinking about it, because soon he’s plopping on his stomach toward the head of Donghyuck's bed and is stuffing his face into the pillows that just  _ smell  _ like his best friend. It's not warm in Donghyuck’s bed because he's not laying in a space that's previously been occupied, but still it’s surrounded with the feeling of  _ Donghyuck. _

Taking a deep breath, Mark turns his cheek to the side.

"Do you want me to take off my shirt?" He asks.

"Eh," Donghyuck climbs closer, his knees bumping against Mark's hips. "How bad does it hurt? Cause if you want me to go deep, then maybe."

Mark's eyes widen.

"Dude! Watch your tongue," he chuckles. "If someone's hearing us they're going to think we are definitely doing something dirty."

"Dirty?" Donghyuck makes a silly sound from the back of his throat. Donghyuck pauses before he begins to raise his voice. “Come on, Mark, how deep do you want me to go?"

Mark twists quickly and slaps his hand over Donghyuck's mouth, elbowing him hard. Donghyuck yelps in the process, still chuckling as he pries Mark's hand from his face.

"Gross, your hand tastes like milk," he pokes his tongue out.

"Well! Shut up and help me already!"

Easily, they settle.

Laughter still radiates in the room. Mark ends up removing his shirt and lies back on his stomach, holding his hands up toward his head as his eyes flutter shut. He's  _ tired.  _ But still, he stays awake to focus on the sweet touch of fingers that slide up his back.

"You don't have lotion?" Mark's words get caught into Donghyuck's pillows.

"I do. I'm just trying to get a feel for what I'm working with," his fingers touch dangerously smooth skin and loose muscle one minute before he applies pressure and comes across tense, harder parts of Mark’s back.

"Ow," Mark croaks. "What is that?"

"You have so many knots up here," Donghyuck rubs his thumb over it.

Mark instantly tries to recoil from the touch. It hurts, but he starts to realize that it feels incredible. 

"I’ll keep rubbing them and it’ll help them—"

"—They hurt!"

"Well, yeah! Because it's your.. like.. your muscles are.. well, I actually don't know what it means, hold on, I'll look it up."

"Hyuck!" Mark calls as he turns on his side.

But it's too late. 

Donghyuck is across the bed and half leaning on the bedside table where his phone is plugged in. The room is hardly lit, so the screen of his cellphone is bright on his face. He must be trying to find multiple websites, because he's tapping, pulling the screen back, and then making his way onto a new page.

"Okay, it's just telling me how to get rid of them, it's not telling me what they are," Donghyuck sighs.

Mark crawls toward him and places his chin right in the dip of Donghyuck's shoulder, peering down at his screen. He raises his eyebrows and drags his finger down the center of Donghyuck's screen.

"Right there, what's that say?"

"No, those are symptoms."

"Oh."

Mark just slaps the phone out of Donghyuck's hands and goes back to lie flat on his back. He takes a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling, pieces of glue still stuck from the time that there had been some glow in the dark stars hanging there.

He grins at the thought of it. Then, Mark is raising his knee to Donghyuck's side.

"Seriously, hurry up, would you? I want to get to bed sometime soon," he blows air through the seal of his lips. “You didn’t even rub my back properly yet.”

Donghyuck finally repositions his phone on the table and twists his fingers in a motion to tell Mark to flip back onto his stomach again.

Slowly, Mark does, feeling every single pain that crawls up the muscles in his back. It doesn't burn too much, but rather aches. Before he can hiss or wail quietly in pain, Donghyuck has his hands on Mark's shoulders, this time covered in lotion, and a lot colder. He pushes the pads of his fingers over Mark's skin, drifting in a downward motion until he's hovered over the curve. 

He pushes outward to his hips.

Mark moans softly.

"Again. Again, again, please."

Donghyuck leans down in laughter as his hair tickles the back of Mark's neck.

"You should have me do this more often," he uses his knuckles as he moves side to side and upward until he's back at the tense part of Mark's shoulder. "Doyoung says that I'm decent at it, but if you asked Jungwoo, he’ll say I'm incredible. Don’t ask Renjun, though.”

Mark's mouth is open and nearly drooling onto the pillowcase in front of him. He just curls his toes and tries to nod.

In a matter of seconds, he feels relaxed. Perhaps it's the breathing he hears from Donghyuck, the little sniffles, the huffs and giggles when he hits that tension in Mark's back. It's unwinding, even when Donghyuck plays around with him by grunting loudly. Mark manages to bring his knee to Donghyuck's side to keep him quiet.

Mark's eyes flutter closed again as his entire body sinks further into the mattress, the comfort underneath him feeling as though it's beginning to warm him up more and more by the second.

_ It'll only take a matter of seconds before sleep will hit,  _ Mark thinks.

"Okay," Donghyuck says. "Sit up now. Let me massage just your shoulders."

Regardless of how bad Mark wants Donghyuck to knead at his shoulders, he thinks that the sheets of the bed are calling for him, begging for him to not move a damn muscle. His cheek smudges up against it as he sucks in a deep breath.

The pressure of his chest against the bed causes the beat of his heart to radiate back and forth, like it's bouncing. He focuses on it, humming to Donghyuck as a response.

He pays so little attention to Donghyuck that he doesn't even recognize the voice that whispers by his ear.

"You asleep?"

Mark swings one of his feet back until it hits Donghyuck in the ass.

"Okay, never mind," Donghyuck laughs out a dry cackle. "Are you too  _ tired?" _

This time Mark twists his hips and tucks the pillow by his waist until he's facing Donghyuck. He smiles at first and then sighs.

"I'm exhausted, Donghyuck."

The next move is something that Mark is used to, but it's really not something that he's expecting. 

Donghyuck pushes his forehead forward until it's right up against Mark's. He frowns at him.

Mark adores this—how close Donghyuck gets like this—he always has.

It's like a piece of Mark stills and is being sucked out of him, like Donghyuck is holding Mark's heart in his hand to tell him something serious.

He did it first when they had begun training together, when he came to tell Mark something serious about his family. Mark was there to grip onto Donghyuck's shirt, to wrap his arms around him in a hug, to allow the boy to be vulnerable in front of him. It become their thing after that, at moments when they needed each other. Just a forehead touch, a heart in each other's hand to express how important their next words must be.

Mark can sense what Donghyuck is going to say,  _ probably something about how he should get some sleep.  _ But what he doesn't expect him to say is, "you need to get out of here for a weekend, Mark."

The words are true and Mark hears them. 

They hit him hard.

"Donghyuck," he pouts, lip jutting out.

He retracts his face so his lips don't get too close. A sigh builds up in the center of his chest as their foreheads come apart.

"What, Mark?" Donghyuck plops back onto the other half of the bed.

He's dressed in such warm clothes that Mark wants to  _ borrow _ all of them. He wants to sneak into Donghyuck's closet and ask if he can slip into every single one of his sweaters. He always manages to find the biggest and warmest ones when they go out shopping.

"A vacation? Is that what you mean?" Mark fiddles with his hands, messing with his cuticles as he holds his hands over his head.

He's still sunk deep into Donghyuck's pillows while the younger boy is sitting with his legs crossed, poking at Mark's thigh so innocently, like he's ready to move on to say more, to answer Mark's question, or provide him with some sort of information that'll get him to blow out a huge: YES.

"Not even that," Donghyuck leans on his back to match Mark's level, just a foot away from him. "Just go get a hotel somewhere. Spend some time relaxing in a bed that isn't yours."

But Mark only stares at him.

"Donghyuck, I can't even sleep in my own bed, what makes you think I am going to be able to sleep in a hotel bed," he puffs air out before he flops his legs forward. 

With one shift of his hips, Mark finally sits up. 

Donghyuck scoots closer.

"No, seriously, think about it. Just listen to me, I know you hate listening to other people—" 

"—Oh, fuck you—"

"—Watch your mouth, dude."

Mark sits criss crossed on the top of Donghyuck's bed and sinks his elbows into his knees, watching for any movement of an expression on Donghyuck's face. There's something he wants to see, something he needs to see, encouragement. 

"A really,  _ really  _ nice hotel," Donghyuck starts. "A real massage, with someone who knows how to do it correctly. A hot tub somewhere. Ordering good meals from your bed so you don’t have to go out. Watching movies—"

"—I could do that here, though," Mark waves his hands dismissively. 

That's all Mark has to say for Donghyuck to shut his mouth. His posture slumps, almost every strand of hair shakes as his head moves from side to side. 

On occasion, Mark feels bad for upsetting Donghyuck. 

He'll notice the shift in his attitude, or even his motions as they move on to do their activities with the other members. He'll notice the biting down Donghyuck does on the tip of his tongue to prevent himself from snapping or saying something he shouldn't. 

"Sorry," Mark's whisper is too quiet, so he says it again. "I'm sorry, I just feel like it's not going to be beneficial to me. And I'll be bored."

That's really it. 

Mark loves his alone time, sure. But, when he thinks about it, he doesn't think he'd enjoy going to spend an entire weekend alone in new sheets, staring at new walls, just to  _ get away  _ for the weekend. 

It's not really a thing he would do on his own. 

Maybe if the distance were further, or if they were away on tour would he be searching for more moments alone, but now as he lies in Donghyuck's bed, he thinks that it would be pointless. 

"Hear me out, for just a moment?" Donghyuck asks him gently. 

Mark does. 

Mark always hears him out. 

With or without the forehead touch. 

He nods to give the solid approval. 

"What if I went with you?" 

Mark blinks.

The sides of Donghyuck's lips begin to curl up ever so gently, moving carefully like he's scared that Mark is going to turn him down in an instant. Despite the look on Mark's face, revealing something between confusion and pure thought, Donghyuck starts to speak. 

"I know you think it's going to feel the same as being here, but if you think about it—well, maybe we're a little different because I use my computer, but I won’t bring that anyway—but, we can go swimming together, we can just watch movies for... the entire day. We won't worry about anyone else. No members, no managers, just best friends in the hotel room. You know? We can come back before Monday, too."

A flicker of hope goes running behind Donghyuck's eyes. Mark tries to catch onto it before it disappears, but when he blinks, it's gone. He frowns. 

Donghyuck is sleepy. He's wasting his time by thinking about the entire thing. 

"You're sure? You'd want to come be boring with me?" Mark asks, trying to add inflection to his voice to make it seem like he's actually not as worried as he sounds. 

Donghyuck's forehead is back on his, warm hands are on Mark's shoulders. Mark hates how such a gentle gesture can relax his entire body like this. It's the moments like these when he takes a second to realize how grateful he is to have such a genuine best friend like Lee Donghyuck. Lee Donghyuck who touches him with his heart and his soul, and doesn't let go unless Mark asks him to. 

"I'm sure, Mark. I could use a couple nights away, too, you know," he pulls away and then lifts his own covers up to slide underneath them. 

Mark frowns at that. His chest weighs heavier when he gazes over at Donghyuck, now cuddled into his lavender colored pillow. 

"I should've asked if you needed a break, too."

"Mark," Donghyuck clicks his tongue. "Sleep now. Let's book something over cereal in the morning."

The bruise of Donghyuck in Mark's heart is warm, it's gentle, and it's so fresh. He's made his way there and holds on so tight that Mark thinks it'll be impossible to be away from him. He won't ever want to be away from him. Donghyuck is his best friend, the one who encourages him to be whole. 

"You want me to sleep here?" Mark asks, zoning in on the part of the bed he was previously laying at. 

"No," Donghyuck chuckles. "You've got your own bed. What, are we starting this sleepover getaway early?"

Mark rolls his eyes and bends forward to tug on the edges of Donghyuck's hair. 

"No, we are not."

Their night ends softly, with flickering of lights, sweet whispers of wishing each other good dreams, and staring out the window at the stars that glisten in the moonlight. Mark lies in bed on his own. This time, he finds the silence quite peaceful and endearing as he thinks about his upcoming weekend. 

  
  


—

  
  


"You're only going for two nights," Jeno is upside down on Mark's bed watching him mindlessly toss more clothes into his bag. "Two. Nights."

He has a sucker in his mouth, throat bobbing up every time he tries to swallow. It looks like a struggle to be doing it in the first place, and he keeps choking on the sugar that goes down wrong, but for some reason he is continuing to act stubborn. 

"Be careful," Mark chuckles at him as he fists his hand in Jeno's hair and tugs on it to scold him. "I know. But, who knows how cold Donghyuck is going to set the room. You know how he dresses at night. Plus, what if we go to the pool, and then back. Or, what if I take a lot of showers because of swimming? Or the massages?"

Jeno flips onto his stomach to cock an eyebrow up at his friend. 

"What in the world do you have planned with Donghyuck, Mark?"

Mark shrugs. 

"Just movies and swimming, kind of?"

Jeno sucks hard on his candy and then bites on it, complaining only a second later that his teeth now are hurting. He then gives an attempt to toss it over at Mark's trash can, failing as it sticks to the ground. 

Mark, with a sweatshirt in his hand, glares at Jeno. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll pick it up."

It's silly how Mark is starting to blush at the way Jeno is rolling his eyes when Mark starts to avoid the questions about what their plan is for the weekend. 

Does he really have one? Do  _ they  _ really have one?

Not really. 

Mark adds in the last sweatshirt he can find and then looks at Jeno with a soft smile. 

"Seriously, just relaxing and hanging out," Mark smiles. 

Jeno repeats the words to himself a couple times, louder and louder until Mark is hitting him over the head with the nearest pillow. 

He stifles a laugh and then walks toward Mark's dresser, turning until just his hip is lazily pressing up against it. 

"Are you going to..." Jeno pauses playfully. 

Mark widens his eyes at him, like he's trying to tell Jeno to watch his next words. Because, well,  _ he fucking better _ , now that Donghyuck is stepping foot into the door, with his bag over his shoulder. 

He's dressed in just a pair of black loose shorts, a shirt long enough to reach his knees if it weren't accompanied by the shorts that were beginning to ruffle it up. His eyes are helpless with fatigue, but he sings a smile that brightens up the room the instant his toes lay on the floor in front of him. 

Mark looks to Jeno first with a grin that reads a light threat, telling him not to continue any of the teasing words he was going at only a few seconds ago. Even if he were to continue with them, Mark knows that Donghyuck would laugh at them. But, Mark would probably go slightly red on his pale cheeks.

"Are you ready?" Donghyuck drops his bag. "We're going to catch a ride. Get the full experience, you know what I mean?" 

Mark stares at his open bag, still not smashed down, still covered with sweatshirts that hang out the sides. 

"Shit, you really packed a lot, didn't you?" He notes. 

Jeno nods his head at Donghyuck. 

"Apparently he thinks you're going to turn the heat completely down."

"He's right."

Mark rolls his eyes and crouches down to close the rest of his bag up. He looks up at Donghyuck, chin completely raised as he holds both of his hands up in need of being lifted back up.

For a moment, he almost swears that he sees Donghyuck blinking in hesitation, or something. 

Jeno turns around and whistles.

"Didn't I ask you to pick up that goddamn candy stick?" Mark spits out at him. 

"Yeah, yeah."

Donghyuck helps Mark, and then reaches forward for the bottle of cologne on Mark's shelf and then holds it to his nose, turning it to Mark and spraying it a couple of times at his chest. 

As a reaction, Mark holds his arms out to the side of him, tilting his neck to the side like he's wanting Donghyuck to add more. Donghyuck does. He giggles after. 

"Okay," Jeno blurts. "Have fun you two, but I'm serious when I say this next part, and listen to me closely."

Mark's lips part, leaving a tiny gap between them for him to gasp shortly. His head cocks to the side, he waits. Donghyuck does the exact same, bending down to pick up his own bag. 

"Be safe."

Mark sighs at Jeno, eyes squinting in annoyance. 

Donghyuck doesn't seem to notice the frustration, or actually—he doesn't seem to even notice that Jeno's smiling is considered teasing in a way. 

"We will, I swear. We aren't going to be leaving the hotel," Donghyuck points out. "Not until we're headed back."

Mark takes a breath of relief, peeking over at Donghyuck, who is just nodding his head and wrapping his arms around Jeno. 

"I'm so excited to sleep in," Donghyuck mutters against Jeno's neck, planting a kiss right on his cheek. 

Jeno cradles Donghyuck's face in his hands. 

"Please. Careful. And have fun."

Donghyuck nods. 

"Tell Mark that. He's the one who needs to relax with me."

Mark rolls his eyes at that and sits back on the bed, body going lax at the feeling of his own mattress under himself.

He's excited to step away from it for a while. 

All of the sounds, the bickering he hears, the teasing. He loves being near everyone, loves drifting off into the other member's rooms to chat for while. But, there's something about being high up in a hotel for a few days, peering out over the world outside of their window that makes Mark's stomach feel warm with thought. 

Or, perhaps it's the thought of just being away with his best friend. 

Being with Donghyuck has always created new feelings for Mark. Being able to play games with him growing up, to learn performances, to spend countless hours in the recording studio, it all brings a sense of home and warmth to his body. So, when Mark thinks about it, maybe he just adores the idea of being able to feel like he's getting away just for the weekend with Donghyuck, and  _ only _ Donghyuck. 

"I am going to relax on this little trip, I promise," Mark sighs, shoulders still tense from two nights ago when Donghyuck had his knuckles kneading into them. 

He offers his most polite grin toward the two of them. They swing an arm around him in a hug before taking a deep breath together. 

"Okay, Jen. I've got to steal him off now," Donghyuck tugs Mark his way. "Gotta run."

Mark looks back toward Jeno, snapping his head back when he sees the wink that the boy tries to give. 

—

  
  


Pulling up to the hotel brings a sense of nervousness to Mark's head. He frowns at the tall building, but shows his teeth in a stretched smile when he notices the excitement on Donghyuck's face. 

The boy looks beautiful like this, Mark thinks to himself. 

He always expresses his excitement in the most delicate kinds of ways. His cheeks will burn and become tight in a line as he bursts out into small chuckles, knee bouncing against the floor in curiosity. He'll stare and stare at what's in front of them, whether they're watching one of their music videos, or headed to a new location. His hands will grip onto Taeil and he'll lean over clumsily as his eyes shine. 

Or right now, as he dips his head and sits impatiently, that damn knee bouncing as Mark holds his hand over his shorts, their skin coming in contact when Donghyuck shakes his leg too far to the point where his shorts slide back. 

"How big do you think the room is going to be?" He whispers to Mark, both of them trying to stay quiet in the back of the cab. 

Mark's brows furrow slightly.

"We booked it. I mean, we saw it on there, Hyuck. Probably that big, you know?" 

Donghyuck groans as he starts to pound his fist over Mark's hand that rests over his own. 

"I know, but like... you think it's going to be bigger than we think it is, or what?"

This time, Mark can see how excited he appears. 

So, Mark shrugs his shoulders and leans closer, forehead pressing up against Donghyuck's until they're both chuckling. 

"Hopefully so big."

Donghyuck bites on his lip.

"Have the best weekend with me, Mark?" 

Mark pulls back a little, only enough to where his nose tickles slightly against Donghyuck's. Mark's stomach grows warm with heat, but soon he swallows down the rushing sensation that he knows will be bringing a blush to his cheeks. 

Somehow, Donghyuck always manages to make him feel so safe. Even in the back of the car like this. 

"Let's do it."

The hotel lobby is beautiful, with marble floors and a huge fountain that instantly catches Mark's eye. He stares at it for a moment, wondering about how many people have reached forward to giggle at the water as they stuck their hands underneath it, feeling the wet sensation on their skin. He wonders how many people have thrown coins, made their wishes, and waited for them to come true. He also wonders how many people have had their wishes come true. 

_ What’s Donghyuck’s wish? _ Mark thinks, his stomach going flush up against Donghyuck’s back as they reach the front counter. 

Donghyuck extends his arm behind him and grazes his fingers against Mark’s core, tight between the line of their bodies, thumb sweeping underneath his belly button. Mark  _ know _ s this touch, he knows that Donghyuck is trying to make sure he’s alright. To reassure him, Mark moves closer and lets his fingers tug at the back of Donghyuck’s shirt as he moves to the side of him, soon listening to the way Donghyuck gives his name to the people behind the counter. 

Neither of them say anything else after their couple of eyebrow raises.

They get past the front desk in almost record time, Donghyuck calls it as he looks over at Mark, pulling the hood from his head as he stands in the elevator. 

"That was like... five minutes," Mark breathes as he lies back against the wall. 

Donghyuck looks over at him.

"Actually, it was eight minutes, if we're being exact."

Mark furrows his eyebrows harshly, scoffing as he stares at the numbers going up, his anticipation rising with the floors. He gnaws on his lip in the meantime, knowing that soon he's going to walk into the room, fall onto the bed, and let every muscle in his body calm down. 

The elevator moves up and up, and Mark grows a sensation of nerves in the pit of his stomach as he stands there in silence, with only the soft sniffles of Donghyuck accompanying them. He’s tapping on his phone, sending a text to Johnny about how they’ve made it, about how they’re excited to jump into warm clothes and not worry about anything for the next few days. 

“Oh,” Mark points out as they step around a few people to get onto their floor. “I call the bed that’s closest to the window.”

Donghyuck pauses in his steps and just blinks at Mark. He looks back at his phone to finish his text message, staring at the card to find which direction their room actually is. He points to the left, Mark walks. 

“You told me to get the room with one bed,” he bumps into Mark’s shoulder as he turns them both down the next hall. “All the way at the end. Do you want to race?”

Mark drops his mouth open, chest rising with warmth for quite a few reasons. Looking at Donghyuck like this, wrapped in a pink tint, probably overheated from the temperature in the air, makes him appear softer than usual, to the point where Mark feels like he’s young again, falling asleep on the couch, tangling his legs with Donghyuck and waking up with another damn neck ache. 

Donghyuck’s tongue is between his teeth and he’s bouncing on his toes. 

“Race? You want to race? We have like—We’ve got bags on our shoulders.”

“So? Let’s put them down and run. Then we’ll come back and get them,” Donghyuck’s eyebrows tilt up in mischief. 

Mark’s chest sizzles this time in need. 

He’s never been one to act on anything in such a quick decision, not without someone like Donghyuck at his side. So, as he looks forward to their double doors at the end of the hall, Mark turns back to the blush running up Donghyuck’s cheeks. 

“Come on, Mark,” Donghyuck grazes his fingers playfully along Mark’s collarbones until he dips them underneath the straps by his shoulder bag, watching it drop to the floor. For some reason, Mark swallows hard. “This is our weekend, let’s do what we want.”

Donghyuck is right.

This is their weekend. 

Mark doesn’t think that necessarily means that they need to go sprinting down the hall of a hotel, but  _ fuck it _ . He shrugs off his last bag and touches the pads of his fingers to the thin carpet on the ground, a carpet that has been worn down by hundreds and hundreds of people walking on it. 

Almost instantly does Donghyuck match his positioning, kneeling down to stay in the same position as him. He cocks his head to the side, all of his hair falling forward as his face turns red. 

They’re stopped by the door to their right going open, a couple stepping out, dressed in such fancy attire. 

Donghyuck sucks in a gasp, Mark drops to his knees and pretends to be tying his shoes. 

“Ah,” Mark looks up with a small smile. “Excuse me, my laces were just untied.”

The couple’s smiles extend wide to each other before they place their hands together, fingers intertwining as they turn to look back in their hotel room. 

Mark and Donghyuck excuse themselves and link arms quickly, rushing off with their bags before anyone can get a second look at them.

Laughter floods every inch of the hallway, knocks on the doors of strangers until it reaches the very end, where both of them bend over to catch their breath. Although neither of them had been running too fast, they both press hands to their chests and look at each other, giggling as they drag their eyes to the handle of the door.

It's huge when they think about it, the doors dressed in a cream color, handle a shiny silver, the keycard slot ready to take in the cards in their hand.

"Mark," Donghyuck stops him from his thoughts, turning to him with a tickle of worry on the end of his tongue.

Mark turns, gazing through Donghyuck's eyes, staring right at him—through him even. It's like he's almost waiting for the push of Donghyuck's forehead right up against his, like he's used to. But it never comes. Instead, Donghyuck just reaches for Mark's hand and takes a deep breath.

"Nothing else. Just us past this door," he says with sincerity.

For a split second, Mark thinks he means something more than what he's saying with his mouth, with his lips that nearly make Mark feel like he has nothing else to pay attention to. In the end, Mark knows what he means. No  _ work.  _ Just relaxation and a good view. And lots of movies like they had promised each other.

Without another second going to waste, they step through the doors, entering the large room. 

Mark spots the bed first, but heads right toward the floor to ceiling windows, admiring the view right in front of his eyes. His fingers touch the glass, drag across it as the dry skin on his lips crack further in a smile. Instead of pressing to Donghyuck, Mark's forehead is now touching the window, and he's giggling like a child.

"Look," Donghyuck calls for Mark. 

Mark obeys, turning to find Donghyuck holding a bunch of chocolates in his hand. They're complimentary,  _ or at least Mark hopes they are.  _ But when it comes down to it, he thinks he'd spend money on them just to see the sloppy grin bursting across the features on Donghyuck's face. Any day, really. 

"I see."

Donghyuck tosses a chocolate Mark's way. He unwraps it and sucks on it, the particular richness spreading across his tongue. His eyes roll back as his lips angle into a lazy and satisfied grin. His entire body feels the effects of the small piece of chocolate, spreading a coating of warmth over him. He nods to Donghyuck. 

"Started us off good, huh? Chocolates," Donghyuck winks at him, rolling over on the bed until his feet hit the ground with a hard sound.

Mark falters in his movements, hand opening and closing over the pile of chocolates that Donghyuck has left so tempting on the white comforter. He smacks his lips together and runs his tongue over the front of his teeth, settling on no for an answer.  _ For now.  _ He thinks maybe he'll share another chocolate with Donghyuck later. 

"The view is beautiful, don't you think?" Donghyuck is down at his bag, already messily throwing his things onto the chair behind him. 

He must be in search of his warm clothes, seeing as he's already set the thermostat to the lowest setting. At this point, Mark knows he's going to freeze his ass off. But they've got a soft bed, a thick comforter, and Mark has come prepared with lots of extra warm clothing. He cocks an eyebrow up at Donghyuck and shakes his head when he nods off toward the bathroom. 

"Yes, I think it's gorgeous from up here, it's like... I feel like I wanna sit here and people watch." 

Mark's voice makes Donghyuck poke his head out of the bathroom. He's late at responding because he's too busy in his own mind about observing every little thing Donghyuck is doing. Perhaps he's too tense still, uncomfortable with the energy in the room, unsettled, not ready to take the world and shove it away for the weekend. 

"You can't really people watch from up here, Mark. You're a little far, I think."

Mark can hear the teasing that draws out of his mouth, low and grumbling as he shuts the sliding door. He tries to say something through it, but Mark doesn't catch it. He's too quiet. 

When Donghyuck returns, his face is dampened red, nose even more crimson than the rest of his features. He's dressed in a significantly oversized t-shirt, not the hoodie that he took in there with him. In fact, Mark wonders where in his hands this shirt was, because he doesn't even remember Donghyuck holding it. The sweatshirt is hung over the length of his arm, and he throws it on the side of the bed he claims--Mark takes note that Donghyuck has claimed the side furthest from the window, remembering that Mark wanted to be nearest to it, and for that, Mark's chest  _ blooms.  _

"Get changed, Mark. Let's start off with a movie, okay?" Donghyuck smiles. 

Mark returns it, nodding his head as he bends down to find his own pair of clothes to wear. 

  
  


—

  
  


After about two and a half movies, both of them are bored. 

Like, really  _ fucking  _ bored. 

Donghyuck has the comforter up to his nose, only the bridge of it poking toward the cool air. His legs are sprawled out, heel pressing against Mark's shin as he stares at the television. The picture is moving, but they have the sounds turned down, both of them now paying attention to the rain that beats down on the windows. 

It's dark outside. Only gentle flashes of lightning causing the room to brighten up. 

It keeps both of them awake even though they are both strung out from their day, tired and eager to slip under the covers and not rise until the sun has done so first. 

Mark takes a deep breath, turning his hips away from Donghyuck as he keeps the pillow snug to his waist. His eyelashes meet as his eyelids come to a close, lightning still brightening up past his closed eyes. 

"Mark?" Donghyuck asks in a small voice, sounding as though he's scared. 

_ Maybe from the storm,  _ Mark thinks. 

He considers turning onto his other side, facing Donghyuck so he can examine the features written on his face. Maybe then will he see the worry, or the fear that Donghyuck has. Maybe then will Mark's hands reach out to touch Donghyuck's shoulder in a gentle reminder that things are okay between them and the sky out their window, no matter how much closer they are to the clouds up in their hotel room. 

Instead of turning, Mark stays put on his side, only twisting his upper back to Donghyuck. He hums low to answer him, smiling through the darkness of their room, spotting only the light brown curls on Donghyuck's head that are smashed into his pillows. 

"What's up?" Mark asks. 

"Are you about to sleep?" Donghyuck asks. 

Mark sighs into his shirt. 

"I don't know," he says honestly. "Don't really feel like it because then tomorrow will come which means less time being here, you know?"

"Wanna turn this way?" Donghyuck suggests. 

His words feel like an axe to the chest. Mark almost shakes his own shoulders to rid himself of the thoughts and the warmth he feels exhilarating inside of him. He tightens every muscle in his face before he turns onto his back, hips flush with the mattress. His face turns to the side, turns to  _ Donghyuck,  _ and he blinks. 

"What?" 

Donghyuck shrugs. 

"You feeling relaxed yet?" 

"No."

Donghyuck snickers, "well, all we did was watch two movies, so I can see how that wasn't very helpful. You want another massage?"

Mark soaks in Donghyuck's words, takes a second to just stare and stare at every feature over the course of his face. From his tired eyes to his lips that he smacks together in interest. From his warm palms that he keeps sticking between his knees, smashing there between the bones of his patellas. He's curled up into a ball on the bed,  _ their bed,  _ chin raised like he's waiting for something. 

A laugh exits easily from between Mark's lips. 

"What about you?" He asks like a warning, or even a suggestion. 

"What about me?" Donghyuck suffers the consequence of watching Mark's face twist up into sadness. 

His heart feels heavy as he watches Donghyuck use his teeth to readjust the blanket, his palms still stuck between his thighs.  _ He's keeping warm,  _ Mark thinks.  _ He's cute,  _ Mark thinks. He's kept the thermostat so low, dressed in such warm clothes, only to have his hands shoved to the hottest places on his body. It's  _ adorable.  _

"This should be about you, too," Mark's bottom lip curls and curls until it's undeniably shaped to a frown. "This is our weekend, man."

Mark feels weird calling him such a nickname when they're together in bed like this, under the company of a storm, layered by sheets and a warm blanket that he knows will hopefully keep them safe through the night. There's rain knocking at their windows, and this high up, it just feels surreal. 

"You're right, it is our weekend," Donghyuck says, scooting closer just a tad. 

Mark starts to think about it. 

If Donghyuck were to press his forehead to his right now, he's not sure how he would react. 

Maybe he'd part his lips open in a small gasp, in something that'll cause Donghyuck to giggle, bring a reddened sensation to his cheeks. Or maybe Mark's hands will reach forward and physically be eager to touch something of Donghyuck in front of him. He'll want to touch and hold, and  _ hold and reach _ until he can feel Donghyuck closer. 

"It is," Mark agrees. 

Donghyuck's hands come free from between his knees. He presses them flat against Mark's cheeks, the fronts, the backs, then giggles when Mark's hands go tight around his wrists. 

"Geez, Donghyuck," Mark grumbles. "That's cold!"

Donghyuck rolls his eyes at Mark and then tucks his hands back underneath the blankets. He just stares at Mark next, blank and tired like. He chatters his teeth.

"You could have just turned up the thermostat if you were this cold, you know? So we don't freeze like crazy."

This time Donghyuck shrugs and wiggles his face down into the pillows, deeper and deeper until he's hiding a yawn in it. His head shakes back and forth at Mark, hand coming back out from the blankets. Mark's quicker than he is though, because he's sending his own hand over his and slapping it down with no hesitation. 

Donghyuck's hands go limp as his eyes stay closed. He laughs. 

"Okay you win," he whispers. "I'm tired now, Mark. Sleep?"

Looking at Donghyuck like this reminds Mark of a sleepover from long ago. Granted, he has them often, the recent ones they'll spend their time awake for hours, out drinking, or even in other member's rooms, on the computer, perched up at each other's shoulders just feeling goofier than ever. 

But times like these, laying next to each other, blinking sluggishly, hearts beating in tune with each other as the droplets of rain spatter against the window, all make it feel intimate, thicker with sincerity and warmth. Mark adores moments like these. 

"I'll sleep, yeah. Do you wanna talk, as we fall asleep?" Mark asks. 

He only asks because it's something that he enjoys doing, and something that he's pretty sure Donghyuck likes to do too. 

"Not really," Donghyuck admits, eyelids opening, eyes glassy and kind as his smile exhibits an apology. "But you do, so let's talk."

As if Donghyuck laying in bed wrapped in the warmest clothing wasn't enough to make Mark the softest in the entire world, he had to go and do it by saying this. 

Mark pouts slightly, hiding traces of his laughter as he watches Donghyuck's eyes close. 

He lifts his thumb to roll it over Donghyuck's forehead, too lazy to move forward to press his own head there to come say something sincere to him. 

"Goodnight, Donghyuck."

Donghyuck doesn't say anything in return. He's already knocked out. 

  
  


—

  
  


Mark wakes up to more rain. 

This time it's lighter, but there's a drag of fog that stays heavy in the air, something that makes Mark want to carry his feet toward the windows and stare out at the streets down below.

He lays in bed and groans as he turns over, coming face to face with Donghyuck who is  _ half curled into his side.  _

It's not uncommon for Donghyuck to be cuddled into Mark, or for Mark's legs to be between Donghyuck's knees. He's warm, for heaven's sake, and the room is so damn cold. Mark's nose feels stuck frozen, and all he can focus on is the huffs of breath that Donghyuck is giving Mark right in the crevasse of his neck. 

And to think that the idea of having two beds crossed their minds before they had booked the room.  _ Bullshit.  _

Mark doesn't move an inch. For two reasons, really. 

One, the view outside is gorgeous. Water drips down the pane of the windows, while fog drifts past them like it's greeting them, trying to get them up and tell them to have a good day. Mark appreciates that.

But, Donghyuck is so  _ warm.  _ Laying like this against Mark, he's warm. He slipped his sweatshirt on last night before he fell asleep, and now that he's been still for hours, his body temperature has peaked.

Two, Mark knows that the second Donghyuck is up, he's going to head straight for the shower. It's just his thing. It always has been, and Mark doubts that he is going to change the one morning that they wake up together in a hotel. 

Mark basks in the feeling of a new environment, taking deep breaths that fill his lungs with new sensations, new emotions. For once, he realizes that he doesn't feel so tense. His eyes narrow in on the arm slung over his waist as he sighs, realizing too late that he's already been twisting and turning his body to see if he's still hurting. 

By this time, Donghyuck has an eye open, staring up at Mark like he's waiting for him to say something. He just pushes his knee further into Mark's side and nudges himself back. 

"Morning," he retracts and then yawns into his elbow. "Man, it's still raining? Why didn't we know this was coming?" 

Mark shrugs, "I didn't bother to look. But, who cares, you know?"

Donghyuck is sitting up by now, eyes lazily blinking as he tilts Mark's way. 

Mark peers over at him, sweatshirt riding up from how twisted it is. His hair is pressed to his head, there are lines of the pillows indented to his cheeks, but still he cocks up a grin and rolls his eyes at Mark. Mark scoffs at him from his position on the bed, hoping,  _ really hoping  _ that Donghyuck will just drop back onto the bed to lie down. 

Much to Mark's disappointment, Donghyuck untucks his legs from the blankets and tiptoes toward the bathroom, leaving Mark alone and cold in the bed. 

With a long and drawn out sigh, Mark blinks at the rain in front of his eyes, wishing that Donghyuck had just stayed in bed a little longer to watch it with him.

Without thinking about it any longer, Mark makes his way to his bag to clean up the mess he had made while digging for his warmest sweatshirt. He also pays close attention to the humming that Donghyuck does in the bathroom, eyeing the steam that exits past the sliding door. Mark sits on the edge of the bed and bites on the inside of his lip, turning on the television to rid the thoughts in his head about how safe he feels here with just Donghyuck. 

Only moments later does Donghyuck come out, a toothbrush between his teeth and warm socks on his feet. He's still got a towel around his shoulders, but he's wearing sweatpants, leaving the shirt out of the picture as he cocks his head toward the bathroom. 

"Go, go," he says. "I fogged up the whole place, but look at—” Donghyuck turns away and spits hard in the sink. "Oh, whoops," he rubs his hand against the mirror. "That just made it worse, but Mark, come here."

Mark rolls his eyes at him and follows him into the bathroom that is clouded with steam. He stares at the shower and fans his hand in front of his face. 

"What did you do?" He asks, looking down at Donghyuck's socks. "You're getting those wet you know?"

"You too."

Mark stares down at his own feet. 

"Oh." His lips purse together before he laughs. 

Donghyuck shakes his head back and forth, tips of his hair slinging across Mark's neck, splashing him with a tickling of a cold, wet sensation. He wipes it down and then looks between Donghyuck, the sink, then the shower. 

"What is it?" He asks. 

Donghyuck continues to brush his teeth.  _ He's got toothpaste down his chin,  _ Mark thinks. 

"It's a steam shower! That was so cool. Really relaxing, I think it'll help kickstart your relaxing weekend," Donghyuck's head bobs before he pulls his toothbrush out of his mouth. 

Mark doesn't pay attention to how he leans over to spit in the sink, he doesn't pay attention to how Donghyuck tilts on his toes to dip under the water as he rinses his mouth. No, not really. He's more focused on the fact that Donghyuck is thinking hard about Mark trying to have the most relaxing weekend of his entire damn life.

In reality, Mark has already had the greatest time, being extremely bored, freezing his ass off while watching a couple of movies and waking up to fog and wrapped up with his limbs tangled with his friend's. 

_ That  _ is what Mark would call a perfect weekend, if he's being completely honest. 

Saturday morning is starting off with a steam shower, with Mark's hands pressed against the side, with a scent of tea tree dripping down his back, down his shoulders. He chokes a little when he tries to take a deep breath in the steam shower, but he chuckles at himself and moves on, poking his head out of the glass door to take a breath of the cool air, thinking about how Donghyuck figured out all of these damn settings on his own. 

When Mark is changed, he leaves the bathroom and finds Donghyuck sitting criss-crossed by the phone, a coffee in his hand as he holds his finger to his mouth, pointing with his free hand to the telephone that blinks red, proving that he's on the phone with someone. 

He then points to the tray of coffees on the table to the side of them. Mark nods his head and moves over to it, taking a seat, but keeping his eyes settled on Donghyuck. 

"What's wrong?" He mouths. 

Donghyuck shakes his head, and holds his finger to his lips, squinting his eyes at the pad of paper in his lap. He taps a pen against it.

Mark disregards it and moves to the coffee, pouring his cup as he waits patiently to hear something else about what is going on in front of him.

"So, the single massages are going to be booked for today, but if you were going to be getting the couples massage, that'll be open at one thirty and then four," the woman says over the phone. "Those are our last two and they're going to be cheaper actually since we've got a discount on them this weekend."

Donghyuck tilts his head to Mark, who nearly bubbles his coffee into his cup and just about splashes the hot liquid across his nose.

They make eye contact, Donghyuck chuckles.

Then, Mark  _ shrugs.  _ He shrugs like what he's heard is no big deal.

"That's fine," he mouths to Donghyuck, who turns away quickly and clears his throat.

"We—um, yeah. Let's do the couples massage," Donghyuck is stumbling over his words.

He catches Mark's gaze one more time and then holds up a one with his finger, replacing it with a four before he furrows his brow. Mark only replies by holding up the one finger to match Donghyuck's, telling him that he doesn't really care too much what time they go get the massage.

It's only 10 in the morning, so that gives them a few hours before they'll have to head to where the spa actually is located. It leaves them time to do some other things. Maybe some time to shut the blinds to make the room a little darker, some time to watch the television play another movie that they won't end up paying attention to.

When Donghyuck hangs up, he falls back onto the bed in an uproar of laughter, hand swiping over his stomach as the sound exits his mouth. Mark watches in wonder, amazement, and just curiosity as he tries to dig through the routes of Donghyuck's head in order to inquire what it is he is thinking about in a moment like this, with his back flush against the bed, hair still damp on the sheets they were just asleep on.

Their eyes meet, but Mark hides his smile with the mug he's drinking from. His eyebrows cock up as his legs cross, chest rising with confidence as he squints in determination.

"So, is that  _ one _ o'clock, my dear?" He asks.

Donghyuck lifts up the pillow instantly, ready to throw it Mark's way. He's bunched it up in the palm of his hands, eyes threatening to Mark who only laughs over the matter, holding up one hand in surrender.

"The coffee, Hyuck, don't you dare throw that this way."

Donghyuck stuffs the pillow behind him and relaxes into it, rolling his eyes as he smiles.

"At least we're getting a discount, huh?" He asks, reaching for his phone.

Mark nods off, wondering if that really is the most important part of it.

If they weren't getting the couples massage, then he thinks that the both of them would be quite lonely, spending the hour prior to their time in the spa alone. But now that they've got each other, they also have the privacy of their own area.

If Mark is being completely honest, he's kind of thrilled for it.

He knows that Donghyuck's hands on his back the other night were helpful, working into his muscles diligently, but he also considers the idea that the people working on his body soon are going to be professionals, ones who do it for a living. He visibly eases at the thought.

"Do you want to order breakfast to the room?" Mark asks Donghyuck, his lips coming together and tasting like toothpaste and coffee, a little like sugar, too.

Donghyuck glances up from his phone like he's ready to answer Mark, looking back down frustratingly.

"Yes," he says. "No, wait, Mark... I don't know if we put the room on your card or mine, do you know?"

He looks up like he's upset about something. Mark deflates a little upon seeing his frown.

"It's yours, yeah. Remember downstairs, you gave them your I.D and then your card."

Donghyuck's face loosens up.

"Oh."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just gave them your name for the spa. Is that gonna fuck it up?"

Mark's lip tilt up into a little grin.

"No, dude, it'll be fine. They'll charge it to the room probably? And then we'll just go from there."

There's still tension between Donghyuck's eyebrows and clearly written on the ridges of his cheekbones.

"Okay," he says, still uncertain.

"Donghyuck, I think you're the one who really needs this massage. This is about relaxation, isn't it?"

Mark's words bring a pout to the familiarity of Donghyuck's pink lips. 

Mark stares at them, he seriously stares hard at them, unfolding every emotion written and wired hard inside of his body until he notices that Donghyuck is licking at them and  _ talking.  _ Oh god he's  _ talking  _ and Mark is most certainly not listening.

"—Do you know what I mean?"

"Totally."

—

  
  


They end up spending the morning eating breakfast in bed, something that both of them have been excited to do for quite some time. A full breakfast, things like bacon and pancakes, eggs and toast, plates carefully laid out on the comforter—the  _ white  _ comforter.

It's Mark's idea, but Donghyuck begs and begs Mark not to move his leg in the slightest because he knows it'll only take a slight move of his ankle before the orange juice goes tumbling and before they have to end up sleeping on the floor or calling downstairs for help.

"You look good like this by the way," Donghyuck points his half slice of toast toward Mark.

"Like what? Frozen still?"

Donghyuck bumps his shoulder and gasps when the glass balancing on the plate sloshes in front of them. He snags it up at the same time Mark does, both of their fingers grazing over one another's.

Mark feels it everywhere. Like fire teasing the edge of his fingertips, rather than him dipping his hand into it. Donghyuck is always, always warm, but here he's like a lit flame, burning low, just in reach to warm Mark up where he needs it.

Mark swallows.

"Be careful," Mark grunts at him. "You're the one that's going to make a damn mess you know?"

"Uh huh," Donghyuck puckers his lips together before bringing the toast to his mouth again. "Not you?"

"Not me."

"You've got jam down your new shirt."

"It's not new," Mark defends himself.

"Oh give me a break, Mark."

Mark reaches for his fork again, stabbing it into his fruit and leaning slowly toward Donghyuck, trying to soak in his warmth. He holds the fruit toward his mouth.

"It's delicious, you should have some," Mark whispers, eyes flickering up toward him.

It's the perfect angle for Donghyuck to drop his forehead down to Mark's, for him to shove his finger up to the underside of his jaw and tell Mark to move over before he spills something else onto their bed. But instead, he's nudging Mark's cheek with the top of his head, the tip of his nose, soon resting on the side of Mark's shoulder with a long and drawn out sigh. He gives a groan, a sound of disgust as he stares at the piece of fruit that Mark is offering to him.

Mark pulls it away with a chuckle.

"Give me that," Donghyuck snags it back, lips wrapping purposely around the fork, pulling at the piece of fruit until he hums at the taste in his mouth.

Mark visibly stiffens when the juice of the fruit splatters across his wrist. He makes eye contact with Donghyuck and then scoffs low, mumbling under his breath about how frustrating it is to do anything with him. The bicker in hushed whispers, in low tones until they finish breakfast.

The rain outside their windows doesn't stop. The fog lets up though, thins out as the sun begins to shine into their room. Both of them decide on keeping the curtains drawn through the morning, savoring the darkness rather than flaunting in the sunshine. 

Soon, when twelve o'clock comes, they head to where the spa is.

They're told to arrive early to enjoy most of the amenities, to soak and loosen up a bit before they entire their private room for their massage.

Mark strips down to his robe, hair a bit ruffled as he had pulled his shirt over his head.

The air is damp in the room as he pushes his clothes into a locker, wrapping the key band around his wrist.

He finds Donghyuck in a moment and it almost instantly brings a grin to a face. The boy in front of him looks completely the same, wearing just the white and gold robe, a pair of flip-flops, a similar key band around his wrist. Except this time his is around his left wrist, while Mark wears his on his right.

Like this, Mark can see the necklace that lies flat between Donghyuck's collarbones, a tiny hint of a bronze lettering peeking out there, something that his mother had given him for his seventeenth birthday, something he hasn't stopped wearing for quite some time.

"You ready?" Donghyuck takes a deep breath. "I heard there's like... more steam or something."

Mark decides to toss his arm over Donghyuck's shoulder as they walk toward the entry, seeing a couple of hot tubs, both hot and cold. Mark doesn't really know what he would call the cold ones.  _ Pools?  _ He chuckles at the thought, moving on when Donghyuck somehow manages to slip away from his grasp.

"Be quiet when you enter," Donghyuck's face is close to Mark's and he smells like peppermint, like tea tree, like eucalyptus, and just like Donghyuck.

"Why?" Mark's nose nearly touches his, heart buzzing on the silence and the echo he hears in the room they're in.

Donghyuck shrugs.

"Look how foggy. What if we get lost, we should hold hands."

"I mean," Mark furrows his eyebrows. "I'm sure that's what these couples do on their couples massages, don't they?"

Mark links their fingers together, his robe causing him to sweat all of a sudden.

The heat is unavoidable.

He's soon standing in a steam room, his hand linked with Donghyuck's, and he's in a warm robe that he will absolutely not loosen under any circumstance.

It's hot.

They make their way to the nearest bench, sitting down together, but not once do their hands leave each other. Their thighs through their robes touch, and Mark leans into Donghyuck's ear to whisper to him.

"Do you think that there's anyone else here?"

Donghyuck cocks an eyebrow at his question.

"They said we have this place for the next like, what, twenty minutes or so?" Mark can see the steam on Donghyuck's upper lip. "It's just us."

Mark takes those last couple of words and repeats them in his head slowly, focusing in on the way Donghyuck had said them, almost like he was trying to convince Mark that it really was just the two of them in there.

"Just us, like the whole weekend, yeah?"

Mark can't help it. He turns toward Donghyuck and presses his wet forehead flush up against Donghyuck's. He takes a deep breath and brings his hand through Donghyuck's bangs, pushing the hair back that has fallen onto his forehead, that has matted there and that has become stuck between their skin.

Donghyuck just blinks at him, creases between his eyebrows intensifying as he waits for Mark to say whatever it is he's going to be saying.

"Thank you."

He gets a pout in response this time, a full blown curve downwards of Donghyuck's mouth as his hand trails up Mark's body until it's laying at the crevasse of Mark's shoulder. He squeezes and then runs his fingers to the back of Mark's nape, tightening the positioning of their bodies. 

"What for?" His whisper sounds too weak, like the closeness is getting to him too.

Or maybe it's the heat. 

"All of it, Donghyuck," Mark starts off. "For getting me here, for helping convince me to get away from home for a little while, all of that. Thank you."

Mark's heart begins to pound when Donghyuck plays with the little pieces of hair at the base of his neck. He's fiddling with them, running the strands between his fingers. He even scratches his fingernails along the base of Mark's neck until he's just slightly under his ear.

"Hey," Donghyuck is whispering despite the fact that it only is the two of them in the room. "I knew deep down that you needed this, and that I kind of needed this too. You don't have to thank me, you know? We have time off, we got away. Whatever."

"I do, though," Mark says. "Because I doubt I would have gotten myself away from the dorms for a bit if it weren't for you."

"What, do you like spending time with me or something?"

"I love spending time with you?"

"You love spending time with everyone, Mark Lee," Donghyuck scoffs as he pulls away and relaxes against the back wall, body slumping just slightly.

Mark sighs low.

_ Of course he does.  _ Mark loves hanging out with everyone, going out for drinks until they're giggling and drunk. He loves tucking himself into Chenle's bed and staring at his phone as he watches him defeat a few things on his phone—he never pays attention to what game he's actually playing, he just watches and observes.

Spending time with people is something Mark enjoys, something he finds that he needs quite often.

"I'm getting hot in here, do you want to go in the cold... tub?" Donghyuck asks Mark, his voice sounding a little flat.

Mark avoids his eyes and nods his head, following him out.

They stand at the edge of the cool water tub, staring down at it. Neither of them make a move. Mark furrows his eyebrows at Donghyuck.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"We're naked underneath our robes, Mark."

Mark splutters, widening his eyes first. His cheeks are already tinted red from the steam room and the heat he was trapped in, but even just dipping his toes into the cool water tub gives him some shivers.

"Well, you turn around and I'll get in first?" He asks. "It'll be nice to cool down. Unless you don't wanna get in?"

Donghyuck shakes his head back and forth.

"No, no that's fine. I'll cover my eyes," he giggles.

"Turn around, asshole," Mark pushes at his calves, hearing a chuckle as he turns all the way around.

Mark strips his robe off and dips into the water, hissing as his body comes in contact with the cold temperature. It's nipping at his skin, bringing him to shivers as he crawls to sit on the furthest side. He wraps his hands around his biceps, rubbing up and down as he tries to get used to it.

"Okay, I'm all good. Come on, I doubt we'll last long in here."

"Cover your eyes," Donghyuck says.

"Yeah, I've got it dude," Mark says, both of his hands over his face as he squeezes his eyes shut.

"I don't believe you, put your head under water."

"Donghyuck!" He exclaims. "Fuck off, come on, it's cold."

Donghyuck's laughter radiates in the room, echoes for a moment before Mark hears him lowering into the water, sinking low. He splashes Mark.

"Okay, dickhead, you can open your eyes again."

Donghyuck chuckles when Mark's body goes stiff at the temperature of the water hitting against his skin.

When their eyes meet again, Mark almost feels like he's meeting a part of Donghyuck that he hasn't seen in a long time. He's a sight more raw, more sensitive under the lights in the room, soaked in cold water, skin dampened and hair still clinging to his forehead. He looks young, sweet, and Mark's heart is starting to thrum harder at the sight of him.

He can hear the blood rushing past his ears.

"Do you think they'll do a good job?" Donghyuck swirls his finger in the water, tracing it in a few different shapes.

Mark follows his lead and does the same.

"Of course," he says. "Well, I hope. They're professionals, aren't they?"

Donghyuck smiles.

"No one beats me though, right?"

"The little massage you gave me the other night? That little thing?" He jokes.

Donghyuck squints his eyes and purses his lips.

"You fucking loved it," he points at him.

Well, Mark did. A lot. But not just the way Donghyuck had his hands on him or the way he dragged the heel of his palm up and down his body. It was because it was Donghyuck's touch.  _ That  _ was why Mark loved it so damn much.

Fifteen minutes later, after pulling themselves from the cool water tub and after barely stepping into the sauna, they make their way to the private room where they're told to get on their individual beds.

Mark is faced down, cheeks squished by the slot at the top of the massage table.

The room is dimmed and there is music coming through, meaning to relax the both of them as they lie there.

But when Mark puts the entire situation together, he realizes that he's far from being relaxed.

"Do you think they're going to ask about us? You know, showing up as a couple?" Mark would run his hands over his face if it wasn't half smashed into the cushions of this table. “Not that I mind talking, but, what do you think?”

"You know they’ll want to. They’ll probably be curious about dates and stuff."

"Well, isn't that kind of private?"

"Just tell them we don't wanna talk about it then. Or just tell them we came because we got the discount."

"Well—"

"—Mark, it's okay. I'll just change the subject if you want me to. Or I will just tell them we're friends who are hanging out together," his laughter sounds  _ different.  _ God, Mark thinks he's starting to read everything a little different now. "That's what is going on, right?"

Fuck, now Mark really thinks something is wrong.

"Yeah, of course."

"Then it's gonna be fine," Donghyuck laughs slow and dry. "Now if you don't take a breath and try to relax before they come in here, I am going to get up and elbow you in the ribs."

"My ribs are hidden, you can't reach them," Mark states matter-of-factly.

"Your ribs go around to your back, Minhyung."

Mark blushes  _ hard. _

—

  
  


The massage, as Mark expects, is phenomenal.

It makes Donghyuck's hands look like something that would be considered amateur. Although Mark really did enjoy the touch Donghyuck gave off, he is more than surprised at the fact that his entire body feels  _ good  _ right now.

He's dressed again, lotion making his clothes stick to his body as he meets up with Donghyuck once more. When they see each other, the both of them pretend that their bodies are jelly, arms flinging off to the side as their smiles extend from ear to ear.

"Man, I think that was fucking intense," Donghyuck tilts his neck to the side as he takes a deep breath. "I feel like I need to take a nap now."

Mark hooks his arm behind Donghyuck's back, over his waist and then knocks their skulls together.

"D'you want to? Go take a nap?" He asks.

"It's almost three. Do you wanna get some food first?"

Mark agrees with him, following behind him as they make their way to the restaurant.

It's not crowded inside, but both of them decide on grabbing something to go, settling on the idea of eating inside of the room instead.

Neither of them mind the idea, because before Mark can even open his container of food, he's underneath the covers with his cheek pressed hard into the pillowcase. It's velvety soft, a white color, and Mark is inhaling the eucalyptus scent that runs off of their skin. His eyes are fluttering closed as he grunts, knees tugging up to his chest in a need to scoot closer to warmth. In this case it's closer to Donghyuck, who has his food on his lap.

Donghyuck is watching a movie on the television, but Mark is not watching it. He's not staring off at the windows or staying interested in the rain, but instead he's observing the way Donghyuck's fingers are playing with each other before his eyes narrow in on his food, fork twisting back into it.

Mark's eyes begin to close.

"You sure you don't want yours right now?" Donghyuck brushes Mark's hair back with the palm of his hand, causing Mark's head to loll backward, just until their eyes meet. "Shit, I didn't think you were two seconds from knocking out."

Mark's lips smack together a couple of times before he wets them with his tongue. He shakes his head, nose ending up closer to Donghyuck's shoulder than he thought it would be.

Donghyuck whispers something under his breath, closing up his box of food before setting it off to his bedside table.

By this time, Mark is half asleep, trying to cuddle into the heat that he finds near him. Trying to get closer to Donghyuck.

Donghyuck sees it, clearly, because he's moving the blankets, lifting his legs and shifting closer to Mark.

"Alright, Mark, I see you. Come here," he murmurs out.

Mark can feel his chest sending off signs of pure comfort as Donghyuck wraps his arms around him and as he pulls him flush to his chest. Mark feels sleep pulling him under. But he doesn't dare go, not when Donghyuck is holding him like this, not when their bare skin is touching, not when they're half on top of each other and smelling like they've just stepped out of one of the world's best massages.

Mark's eyes come to a full close when Donghyuck drags his fingers through the strands of his hair. He hums, too, his voice making the room feel like Mark is lying in heaven, on the softest cloud, in the best smelling room.

He manages to slip his hand up between their bodies to rest his palm flat on Donghyuck's chest. He doesn't miss how Donghyuck's heart begins to pick up speed.

Mark blows air out from his nose.

"Stop it," Donghyuck says in a low voice.

Mark swallows, more aware of whose arms he is in.

He wiggles closer and rubs his cheek half against Donghyuck, half against the pillow.

"I like this a lot," Mark admits.

Donghyuck swallows hard. Mark can  _ feel  _ his nerves.

"You're so tired, Mark," he chuckles. "Take a nap."

Mark does.

When he wakes, Donghyuck is tightly tucked into his neck, breathing hot like Mark expects him to.

They've slept in the same bed countless times, they even woke up intertwined this morning, but something about waking up at five in the afternoon, just the two of them,  _ this  _ mixed together makes Mark realize that his feelings are far too gone.

He knows that Donghyuck is excessively warm when he wakes up in bed, he knows that Donghyuck is going to maybe want to get up and run straight for the shower, especially since they still are sticky from the lotion. But what he doesn't know is what the hell Donghyuck is going to say when he wakes up and finds them in this position.

Mark wonders if he'll shake it off, or just laugh at their positioning, since Donghyuck has his leg thrown over Mark's hip.

"If you move even an inch, I'm gonna be so pissed at you," Donghyuck mutters into Mark's neck.

Mark doesn't move, but rather stiffens at the rough sound of Donghyuck's voice after he has just woken up. God, Mark has heard it so many mornings, so many times, but there's something about now that makes him feel like he's seeing Donghyuck in a new way.

"Funny cause I was thinking the same about you," his fingers twitch at Donghyuck's hip bone, only moving to lift the blanket over his body.

He fears maybe Donghyuck has grown cold.

"Why would I move? Don't I look comfy?" Donghyuck tries to lick his lips but ends up wetting the skin of Mark's neck. He doesn't say anything, so of course Mark doesn't say anything, either. 

"Yeah, you do. But, you always get up when you wake up."

Donghyuck scoffs.

"Me?" He asks. "No I don't. I stay in bed for hours, Mark. Since when do I get up?"

_ Like, all the time. _

"Every morning. It's like you can't stand the smell of sheets in the morning or something. You're up quicker than a dog who's on his way to a bowl of food."

Donghyuck turns until he can catch Mark's eyes, until he sees them in a gentle gaze. He smiles softly. 

"You just never see me in my own bed, I guess," he says low, so much lower than Mark expected him to speak. "I always get out of bed because I thought you never want to lay there with me."

Mark scoots even further back from him, sucking in a breath that feels like it's curling in the pit of his stomach, spinning hard there. His chest rises in a regular pattern as he tries to keep it steady. 

"I do," Mark gulps down the fear sitting at the base of his throat.

The feeling of Donghyuck beside him becomes a little too real. Mark feels his warmth like fire, like a flame he can't put out, or like a flame he doesn't really feel like putting out. Mark is suddenly aware of how close Donghyuck is to his body, his skin carrying his feelings with him. 

Their ankles knock together, breaths hitching in nervousness as sweat desperately tries to drip from their foreheads. Mark is nervous. But the longer he stays next to Donghyuck, he's starting to believe that maybe he thinks of this as nothing more than the two of them just getting away, staying comfortable under the homelike warmth of their comforter.

"You do?" Donghyuck perches his chin on Mark's shoulder.

His hand touches flush to the bone there and Mark just stills.

He nods. 

Donghyuck's short laugh pulls Mark from the thoughts he is drifting to. 

“Hold me, then.”

Mark's arms open to accept Donghyuck to move closer, but never does his heart stop thumping heavily in his chest. Donghyuck practically drops hard back in the crevasse of Mark's neck, somewhere that he knows is pleasantly cozy. In the moment, Mark realizes that his breath against his neck, lips grazing there are like a reminder: that Donghyuck really isn't going anywhere.

"You're not relaxing," Donghyuck whispers.

Mark's chest vibrates as he stutters on a breath.

"How do you suppose I do that?"

With Donghyuck's arm slung over Mark's chest, his fingers are able to curl right up into the tangled parts of Mark's hair. He tilts Mark toward him until their heads knock together.

"Fall back asleep with me," Donghyuck hums.

"You're making me feel like I can't," Mark says with confidence.

He can't help it.

The tips of his nails are running smooth over Mark's scalp, he's breathing against Mark's neck, and he's just pressed against him. They're close. Mark could tilt his head and bring Donghyuck's chin to his face in a matter of seconds if it weren't for the pounding of his heart distracting him.

"What am I making you feel exactly, Mark?" Donghyuck asks like he's teasing him, and Mark starts to understand that,  _ oh god Donghyuck is really good at teasing.  _

Mark's teeth are eager to bite, though. He wants to chatter them amongst each other, bite down hard on his lip until he feels a tender sensation on the skin. He wants to look Donghyuck in the eyes and tease him right back.

Donghyuck has always been this way, especially with Mark, and especially this close.

But Mark elbows him, pinches the skin at Donghyuck's back hesitantly before he grumbles low.

"Why don't you tell me what you're feeling first? You're the one whose heart is going absolutely crazy."

Donghyuck snickers at him, ruining their comfortable position to feel his own heartbeat.

"Hmm," he hums. "I don't know. Maybe I just am excited about the rest of our trip."

"Trip?" Mark tugs him closer, leg just casually slipping back between Donghyuck's. "As if we're doing anything right now."

"I think we're making a bit of progress on how bad you wanna kiss me, don't you think?" 

Mark stills. He freezes to a point where Donghyuck even holds his breath, probably fearing that he has taken his jokes, his teasing, and gone a little too far this time.

But all Mark can think about is the thinnest line of burning heat underneath his skin, the igniting that only Donghyuck can do to him. 

All Donghyuck, Only Donghyuck.

At this point, Donghyuck has gone silent, like he's begging for Mark to speak up, to joke back. It isn't like they haven't joked about this before. But the situation has changed. Back then they weren't rosy cheeked, clad in clothing that they'd tread through cold weather in. Back then they weren't lying in bed together, accompanied by an oversized white comforter and rain that hasn't seemed to stop knocking by their windows. 

Donghyuck clears his throat. 

"I should really get in the shower though," he chuckles lightly and under his breath, sneaking out of Mark's embrace. "You were right. I guess I really do like to shower right when I get up. Maybe it's the heat. Uh, yeah."

Then, as easily as he had woken up, Donghyuck was gone. 

He leaves Mark cold. 

  
  


—

  
  


They go swimming that night after dinner. 

After their mouths are fed and after their stomachs are full, after they move to the rooftop for a nice view to just peer off the side of the building. 

There're lights strung up by the patio furniture, some of them flickering and seeming in distress from the weather. The furniture was soaked, so neither of them sat. Although stepping into puddles led to water soaking deep into their shoes, down to their socks, the moment had seemed to last for a lifetime. 

Mark had gripped Donghyuck's shoulder near the edge, claiming that the drizzle and the rain was going to make the view look  _ spookier,  _ as he had called it. Donghyuck had only wrapped his arm around Mark's waist and dug his cheekbone into Mark's shoulder, telling him that things won't seem so scary once you get up close. 

Mark knew he was wrong, but he wouldn't admit that. 

He just liked the feeling of Donghyuck near his body. 

Swimming feels much different. 

With thirty minutes until the pool closes, both of them are high and loud with their laughter, filling the place with echoing sounds that would probably piss off a lot of people if they were near. 

But lucky for them, and like it has been for the past day or so,  _ it's just the two of them.  _

"This is a lot more comfortable than the spa pool," Mark tells Donghyuck as his fingers grip the edge, feet going flush against the side as he pushes his body up. 

Donghyuck is sitting by the ladder, swinging a little back and forth as he rolls his eyes at Mark. 

"That's because you’re clothed."

Mark sticks his hand into the water and cups some of it, chucking it all toward Donghyuck, splashing him as hard as he can. 

"Fuck off," Mark rolls his eyes. "It's also a lot warmer. Less intimidating in here."

Donghyuck shrugs, head tipping back into the water. He comes up for air and rakes his fingers through the hair that is flat on his head. 

"Do you want to race?" Donghyuck asks him. 

Mark's chest extends out only slightly, like he's becoming excited, skin rising with the familiarity of something warm, thrilling and ready. His grin sits tight on his lips. 

"What, like there and back? Or just there?" Mark points to the side. 

"We can do there," he wipes the water from his eyes. "Who do you think will win?"

Mark observes the smile on Donghyuck's face. 

It's kind, excited, and a look that Mark is used to seeing. 

This is the Donghyuck he knows, full of looks that could kill with the edge of kindness, and only that. He rides on excitement and manages to cheer people up with only a few words spoken. 

God, Mark's skin will go numb with goosebumps while thinking of him. 

"Me," Mark pokes his tongue between his lips. "But realistically, you. You're a good swimmer."

Donghyuck scoots closer to the wall, already getting into a position to go plowing through the water at speeds that Mark couldn't beat even if he tried his hardest. 

"Aw, Markie, you're too kind to me." Donghyuck pats his back, "I have no encouraging words for you, man, but good luck to you."

Mark drops his mouth open in shock as he uses the heel of his foot to shove Donghyuck away, telling him to stay in his lane. 

In a way, Mark thinks that this race will make up for the one that they couldn't do in the hallway yesterday. He thinks about how these things make Donghyuck happy, how they bring light to his eyes, raw and bright, eager and making him look satisfied. All things that Mark would go through pain and back just to see on his face. 

"Ready, set — " 

"No, no, hold on," Donghyuck interrupts him. "Who says you get to call it? Why can't I?"

Mark rolls his eyes and says, "go ahead. Do it if you want to."

"No, it's fine. You go."

Mark presses his lips together as he stares at the smirk on Donghyuck's face. He thinks he's going to lose it if he doesn't kiss Donghyuck by the end of the night. 

The water holds Mark together, sure, but Mark isn't sure how much longer he, himself, is going to be able to stay put together before he has Donghyuck pressed up against the wall of their hotel room. 

"Okay," Mark tries again, taking one last glance at Donghyuck's side profile, glistening under the drops of water and the low light of the indoor pool. "Ready, set, go."

Mark gives him a head start. 

He watches Donghyuck push off the wall so poorly, water moving like a wave around his body. It doesn't matter though, because he picks up a form not too much later, swimming as fast as he can to the other side. Mark almost gets caught up in watching before he realizes that Donghyuck is going to  _ really  _ call him a slow swimmer if he doesn't take off soon. 

So, he pushes himself off the wall and glides through the water, staying under for a few extra seconds as the pool becomes his friend, giving him the peace of silence and advice he needs in the moment. He smiles to himself, lips so thin that water seeps into his mouth. 

He blows it out and comes up for air to start swimming hard, hopefully following behind Donghyuck with a short gap between the two of them. 

The lack of goggles makes it harder, so Mark continues to open his eyes as he swims. 

He knows the ledge is coming up, but slamming his wrist into the side definitely isn't part of his original plan. 

His breathing is so heavy. He laughs when he makes eye contact with Donghyuck who is leaning against the edge of the pool, shaking his head from side to side.

"You gave me a head start!" He exclaims.

Mark blinks at him, eyelashes wet. He can't stop staring at Donghyuck, no matter how bad he wants to look away from him.

"I did not."

"You did too. There's no way you were that far behind me," Donghyuck shakes his hair with his hands, running it back and forth a few times until it looks like spikes going in all sorts of directions.

Mark is red in the face.  _ From swimming.  _ But Donghyuck scoots closer and presses his forehead to Mark's, both of them breathing heavy against each other.

"Why'd you let me win?" He says under his breath.

Mark burns everywhere. His chest is bare, he has goosebumps covering his skin, his nipples are hard and nearly pressed against Donghyuck's soaked chest. But, all he can do is chuckle.

"I didn't want to win," Mark blinks slowly.

"You wouldn't have anyway."

Mark scoffs, mouth dropping open. He shoves Donghyuck back until he goes under the water. There's no chance for Mark to get away though, because Donghyuck has him pulled right back against his chest, both of them laughing, this time closer, water spewing between them and dripping right from their noses.

"You are so mean," Mark rolls his eyes. "Fuck you."

Donghyuck tugs playfully on Mark's hair, tucking it behind his ear the next moment.

"You should have tried harder, Mark."

"Uh huh."

Donghyuck's smile drops when he feels Mark's fingers go slack over his stomach. Mark doesn't stay there long, only pulls Donghyuck close before he gives a scratch against his back. Donghyuck's lips part open. It's then when Mark starts to learn more about what little things make Donghyuck weak.

"Again?" Mark mutters low. 

_ He’s referring to the race. He’s referring to the race. _

"No," Donghyuck breathes out in a gentle whisper.

"Are you scared you're going to lose?" Mark teases.

This time Donghyuck pulls himself out of the water.

"Actually, yes," he smirks. "Plus, I am getting cold. I also think we should get dessert. Do you agree?"

Mark can't deny his idea is beyond perfect. The need for something sweet in his mouth is making Mark’s stomach grumble. It's making him want to follow Donghyuck blindly. He thinks he'll even let him choose what they should get.

So, he nods his head and climbs out, taking the hand that Donghyuck extends out toward him.

Soaking off the chlorine from his body shouldn't take long, but Mark spends an awful lot of time in the shower, face underneath the spray of water. He has his sweatpants hung up where his towel should be, towel folded up on the sink, toothbrush sitting right on top of it.

There's sounds from out the sliding door, proving to Mark that Donghyuck has the television on, probably playing something randomly selected. He doesn't think it's anything along the lines of a horror movie, or something romantic, because Donghyuck would have been on his toes about Mark hurrying so they could watch it together. 

Mark decides to speak up. 

"Hyuck," he mutters. 

He gets a hum in response, almost instantly. 

"Did you order something for dessert?" Mark grabs his toothbrush, putting toothpaste on it. 

Then he wets it. He snickers when he thinks about how Donghyuck would roll his eyes at him, telling him how it's so much better if he does it the other way around. Wet the toothbrush, then place the toothpaste on it. 

He shoves it in his mouth. 

"No, I was waiting for you," he says, voice sounding close to the most delicate thing that Mark has ever heard. 

Mark looks at himself in the mirror, panning in on his own cheeks, focusing on how they become tinted red slowly, then all at once. 

"Dammit," he slaps his own cheeks with the back of his hands, proceeding to get mint flavored toothpaste on his cheekbones. 

He flushes even further. 

_ You're a mess,  _ Donghyuck would say to him.  _ Look at you.  _

Mark finishes brushing his teeth, thinking about how pointless it kind of was if he is about to go indulge in some dessert with Donghyuck for the next while. But, when he thinks about it, he'll probably be lying next to him in bed, so the idea of brushing his teeth is helpful.

"Mark," Donghyuck calls. "Chocolate?"

Mark bites down on his toothbrush. 

"Chocolate what?" He shouts back, spitting in the sink to finish up. 

He walks to the edge of the door and looks over at Donghyuck laying in bed, examining the menu, flipping back and forth between a few pages. 

Donghyuck tilts his head to the side, hair still damp from his shower. Mark definitely does  _ not  _ miss the way Donghyuck looks him up and down. Mark hopes he considered the redness on Mark's cheeks to be from the shower, because the longer he stands in the doorway, the worse it's going to get. 

Donghyuck lolls his head back and then pulls his lips into his mouth. 

"Come on, help me pick."

Mark nods his head, rushing off to the sink to rinse his mouth once more before he jumps into bed, laying flat on his stomach in the process. He jumps so hard that he ends up knocking his chin into Donghyuck's shoulder, nearly biting his tongue. 

"God, Mark," Donghyuck drops the room service binder in his lap and takes Mark's face in his hands, furrowing his eyebrows as he stares intently at the older boy's lips. "Open, let me see if you're bleeding."

Mark shakes his head. 

"I don't taste any, I think I am fine," he replies nervously, curling his legs up toward his chest. 

Donghyuck just thumbs at the red spot on Mark's chin, frowning at him. He then lifts his thumb to Mark's lip. And Mark freezes. 

Well, if he weren't going a little numb from the impact already, he sure as hell is going numb in the mouth now, just from Donghyuck's gentle touch. 

"Open," Donghyuck says a little sterner, trying to get Mark to follow his lead. 

This time Mark does, falling for the touch that Donghyuck is giving him, so gentle and caring. 

Mark doesn't dare to look into Donghyuck's eyes as the boy shifts his thumb near his mouth, moving from one side to the other as he drags his finger back and forth, just double checking for any sort of injury.

Donghyuck presses his ring finger onto Mark's tongue. No matter how gross Mark thinks it probably is, it makes his stomach turn to flames. It’s hot and so fire igniting that it nearly makes his eyes want to go rolling to the back of his head. 

Instead, he sits still and controls his breathing, pouting and then scowling at the touch. 

Donghyuck wipes his finger over the front of Mark's shirt. 

"It's all good," Donghyuck whispers, voice seconds from shaky. 

Mark snaps his eyes up to meet his, curiously needing to know what feelings he has written behind them. He wants to see through Donghyuck, behind the shakiness of his voice, behind the inflection he's putting in it, or what he's trying to prove at a moment like this, after having his thumb play softly at Mark's lip. 

"It looks okay?" Mark questions right back. 

Donghyuck just grins at him and sits forward on his knees, blinking heavily until his hand cradles the side of Mark's face. 

Suddenly, the act of his touch speaks louder than anything he could possibly be saying. So Mark reaches forward and grasps onto Donghyuck's wrist, trying to hold him still, trying to encourage him not to leave from his position against his cheek. 

Donghyuck is only touching Mark's pale skin with the back of his fingers, but all of it manages to send Mark's chest into a rumbling soar of beats. He swallows each one that dares connect toward his breaths, that has the ability to raise shivers to his skin, he ignores all of it and only tightens his jaw when Donghyuck lays his palm flat against Mark's cheek.

Mark doesn't expect it. 

The rawness of Donghyuck's hand on his cheek screams adoration and something that Mark can't taste yet, something that he's eager to put his tongue on. 

His hand stays over Donghyuck's palm, encouraging him not to move — not even an inch. His fear sits rough in his chest, but he fights it, plays with it until it's yelling at him to make some sort of mood, because he's understanding that there's no way Donghyuck would be doing any of this if he didn't feel something for Mark in return. 

At least Mark hopes. 

Mark wiggles his fingers between the crevasses by Donghyuck's knuckles, aching for a closer touch. And Donghyuck grants it to him, hollows out the space and tightens the grip of their hands, still thumbing along the bone of Mark's cheek. 

When they make eye contact, Mark finds himself humming in satisfaction, closing his eyes like he's built to blush. 

"You never answered me," Donghyuck whispered. "I want you to decide."

"On what?" Mark pouts. 

"Chocolate cake? Or cheesecake? Do you wanna get something to drink to share? I want you to decide." 

Mark thinks it's cute how Donghyuck is giving him the power to decide in a moment like this, when his hand is pressed flush against his cheek and when their fingers are intertwined so intimately. 

It's likely that Mark is going to close his eyes and go even more lax under Donghyuck's touch, but as of now he wants to bring their eyes together. He holds his breath, sight coming clear with Donghyuck. He smiles and starts to drag his teeth over his bottom lip. 

Donghyuck opens his mouth to click his tongue. 

"Mark," he grins, his cheeks lifting with a pink dust. "Choose one."

He's staring at Mark's lips, fingers inching closer. 

Mark shifts him closer, holds the eye contact and then  _ kisses  _ the side of Donghyuck's pointer finger. 

"I don't mind skipping dessert," he swallows hard, voice too uneven to say another word. 

He needs a minute. Maybe even a few, to regain his thoughts after what he's just done. 

Donghyuck's smirk grows and grows until he looks down with a low breath, shaking his head.

Mark lowers his hand from Donghyuck's, giving him the encouragement to make his own moves from now. Donghyuck does, because now he's curling his hand up through Mark's hair, settling his fingers at the nape of Mark's neck. 

"No," Donghyuck twists around to grab the menu again, dropping it in Mark's lap. "We are not skipping dessert. Now, help me pick."

The thing is, from that moment on, neither of them stop touching each other.

They end up ordering a slice of chocolate cake and a bowl of ice cream to share. Mark asks for a soda for some reason, at the last minute too, but Donghyuck doesn't deny him what he wants. He just pushes his mouth into Mark's hair and chuckles out a soft, " _ sure." _

Their hands come together again naturally, latching onto one another as if they can't stay away.

Every second passes and Donghyuck doesn't bother to remove his hand from Mark's thigh as he shoves his spoon into the bowl of ice cream. He moans as soon as the cream touches the tip of his tongue.

"You've got to try this, Mark," he holds his spoon up to Mark's mouth.

Mark's cheeks haven't faded from the pinkish dust they were at a moment ago, only turning a slight reddish coloring as soon as Donghyuck inches closer.

"I am tasting the same ice cream as you, dude," Mark rolls his eyes, pushing his spoon into the bowl.

Donghyuck grabs it from him.

"Nah. I believe it's better from my hand, don't you think?" Donghyuck tilts his head down in front of Mark's face, until their eyes catch onto each other's.

Mark wants to pull away, hide underneath his blanket and bite down on his lip until Donghyuck just cuts the contact between them. But, the other half of him wants to tease him right back. So, he tilts forward until their faces are inches apart.

"Try me," Mark stares him down.

Donghyuck screws his eyes together, putting the spoon between Mark's lips, purposely missing his mouth, proceeding to run the melting ice cream along his upper lip.

"Oops," Donghyuck gives a fake gasp, frowning at the vanilla that drips off his philtrum. "My bad."

Donghyuck goes for a napkin, but Mark sends his hand forward, wrapping it quickly around Donghyuck's wrist, causing the boy to halt in his movements. He turns, his knee bumping into Mark's thigh as he watches Mark in interest. In a split second, Mark pokes his tongue out and has his upper lip in his mouth, sucking the cream back into his mouth, licking over it.

Donghyuck watches it all.

The expression on Donghyuck's face shifts, changes into something ready, wanting. Mark knows that the insides of his thighs are burning and that his wrists want to pull Donghyuck closer until their chests are tight against each other, until they are both clanking together like the silverware in their bowls, until their touches are mixing sweeter than the desserts sitting on their bed.

There's crumbs over their chests, on the mattress, but Donghyuck was quick enough to lay a towel half over their laps. Mark thanks him for that, because now as they finish the last bite of the chocolate cake, Mark finds himself picking up the towel carefully to bring it to the edge of Donghyuck's mouth.

"You know," Mark tells him. "You stare at my mouth like crazy."

Donghyuck smirks and shakes his head, breath huffing from his nose like he's denying it.

"You're the one who is staring at my lips right now, Mark."

Mark clicks his tongue, dragging himself off the bed until he can take the tray back toward the door. His feet touch the carpet, and he makes his way over to the window to take a glance at the rain that is still drizzling down. He leans his hip against the side and takes a deep breath, trying to seem as natural as possible about how nervous he is feeling.

"Do you think we should watch another movie tonight?" Mark asks him, fingers shifting from the top of the glass to waist level. 

Donghyuck just stays quiet. He must be shrugging.

"What do you think?" He asks.

"What do you mean, ‘ _ what do I think?’ _ " Mark crosses his arms.

Donghyuck shrugs again.

This time Mark feels nothing but a wonder rise through his body.

"I am just asking if you'd like to watch a movie, Mark, geez," Donghyuck grabs his phone and turns it upside down on the bedside table.

By now, the bed is clear of the dessert both of them were just eating.

The bed is calling Mark's name,  _ Donghyuck  _ is calling Mark's name. But, all he can do is stand still, hands tingling at his side as he just looks out between the window and the boy on the bed.

It's then when he notices what he's wearing.

"Why aren't you dressed in something warm?" Mark asks him.

"What do you mean?" Donghyuck's voice is just above a whisper, hidden by the palm of his hand as he yawns.

"Oh, you're tired?" He asks, distracted.

"No, dude. Come lay down, would you? Why are you up?"

Mark turns back to the window, his front almost pressed fully against it.

"Don't know, just admiring the view."

"Of the fog?"

"Of the city," Mark scoffs. "It's not even foggy anymore. Just a bit rainy."

Donghyuck mutters under his breath before he crawls out from the covers, soon following almost exactly in Mark's footsteps until he is standing right next to him.

Mark hopes that Donghyuck can see the view in the same sense that he sees it, a city worth a million words. Lives that are beyond these windows, walking down streets and people that are deserving of so much more than they think they are. Mark wonders if Donghyuck sits and thinks about people as much as he does.

So, he asks him.

"Do you ever think about like... the world?" Mark asks him.

Donghyuck's toes move closer.

"Sometimes, yeah," he blinks over at Mark, but Mark isn't looking at him. "Well, what do you mean? I'm always kind of thinking about the world, sure."

Mark lifts half of his face into a grin.

"Should we order coffees?"

Donghyuck snickers.

"You didn't even drink your soda."

Mark smacks his lips together.

"Oh. That's right."

There's a slight pause in their moment — in the conversation they're endorsed in. Donghyuck tugs on Mark's sleeve, trying to encourage him to look his way, or at least away from the view of the city.

"What are you feeling Mark," Donghyuck's head cocks to the side. "Do you want to talk about it?"

“I’m fine, I promise,” Mark tells him. “I just want...”

He pauses.

Mark scoots closer to Donghyuck and wraps his arm around him, tugging him into his side. Donghyuck visibly relaxes, soaking through the embrace. Mark holds his cheek to the side of Donghyuck's hair, sighing a couple of times before he rubs his fingers up and down Donghyuck's arms. 

From there, silence speaks louder than what they know, or what they want to say.

Mark's pull on Donghyuck's body causes Donghyuck to edge closer, until he's standing in front of Mark, until he's caressing at Mark's chest, tentatively wrapping his arms around Mark. His touches are slow and hot, from Mark's lower back to his upper neck, open palms turning to fists. 

They're squeezed together, body to body, chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat. 

Donghyuck's knees bump into Mark's as he steps forward, wrapping him even tighter in an embrace that supports the weakness he's feeling deep in his heart. Mark holds him low, hands moving from his back to the side of his hips. 

Briefly, Donghyuck lifts his head and rests his chin against Mark's shoulder, moving until his cheek is smooth against Mark's jaw. 

Their emotions clash instantly, Mark and Donghyuck's. 

Mark grips at the nape of Donghyuck's neck and brings their foreheads together. Like they're used to. 

A low rooted laugh pours from Donghyuck's lips as he opens his eyes. 

"It's okay, Mark," Donghyuck says so brutally honest, so quickly. 

Mark takes it right to the gut. He knows what Donghyuck is trying to say, or trying to prove, but he wants to hear it. 

Mark breathes heavily through his nose.

"It's okay, Mark," Donghyuck says again, rubbing his nose against Mark’s. Mark nearly loses feeling in the pit of his stomach. He thinks the rain has picked up, maybe has become a pouring storm right outside of their window when Donghyuck says, "you can kiss me."

Mark's lips drop open. He reaches for Donghyuck's hips and pulls him even closer, eyes screwing shut. 

A spinning nerve goes shooting through Mark's stomach. His feet feel frozen stuck on the carpet. All he can feel is Donghyuck and his forehead pressed against his own. 

God, he really wants to kiss him. 

Donghyuck tilts up a little. 

But he doesn’t move. 

He just thumbs over the curve of Donghyuck’s hip and drops as much emotion as he can into every touch.

"Is it alright if I kiss you, Mark?" Donghyuck asks instead, probably growing worried of the silence out of Mark's mouth. 

Is it alright?

Mark's feet sting. His forearms feel hot. Everything is heating up at the thought of Lee Donghyuck, his best friend, curling his lips into a smile and pressing those same lips against Mark's own eager ones. Of course it's okay, but Mark can hardly even look him in the eye without wanting to melt. 

Only days ago was he trying to kick Donghyuck out of his room for being irritating about a new app he had downloaded on his phone. But now here they are, rib to rib, mouths almost touching from how much burning there is between the two of them.

"Please kiss me," Mark voices out. "And don't stop."

Mark's knees almost go weak when he sees the goosebumps rise to Donghyuck's skin. He almost chuckles at the way he's saying things now, thumbs slipping up the side of Donghyuck's shirt to touch  _ skin.  _ He needs Donghyuck close, closer than they are now. 

Donghyuck's forehead pushes into Mark's. 

Mark pushes back. 

Then, their noses rub together.

Mark's lips are already parted like he's ready to catch onto Donghyuck's, ready to kiss him and forget how to be quiet. 

Donghyuck is beautiful, delicate and gentle when he stands in front of Mark like this. He's careful and genuine with every touch he gives and proceeds with. 

His hand grips at the back of Mark's hair as he tugs it back, the skin of their foreheads pulling away from each other as Donghyuck presses his lips flush under Mark's jaw. 

Mark nearly goes  _ limp.  _

_ "Oh,"  _ he gasps shortly, hands tightening at the back of Donghyuck's hips. 

"Mark," Donghyuck whispers, lack of strength in his voice, nervousness and desperation replacing it. "Look at me."

Mark blinks hard. 

He thinks about teasing Donghyuck, telling him that it's hard when Donghyuck has his fingers in his hair —telling him that it’s hard to think when he wants Donghyuck in so many ways.

But Mark can't focus on anything other than the fact that Donghyuck has his lips continuing to press to the underside of his jaw, again and again, soft and delicate to his throat. 

Donghyuck shifts, taps Mark's thigh with his palm to encourage him to stand up straighter. Then Mark looks at him. 

"Do you even know how bad I have wanted to kiss you?" Donghyuck asks. 

Mark stutters over his breath. 

"You haven't even done it yet."

"Neither have you!" Donghyuck chuckles. "I just meant — "

Mark is frustrated. He doesn't even let Donghyuck get another word out. 

Every place along his neck, along his jaw, is burning with a fire he hasn't ever thought he could feel before. It's intense and it radiates to places in his body that have him wondering what more will do to him. 

So, he cups Donghyuck's cheeks and kisses him hard. 

Pressing him up to the window, Mark's body goes flush to Donghyuck, mouths coming together in a toe curling kiss. 

Donghyuck gasps. 

"Not the window, Mark!" He bubbles laughter into Mark's mouth, holding onto his waist like he's trying to hang on.

Mark pulls him away instantly, cheeks raising red.

They stand apart in an awkward sense. Mark just scratches the side of his neck, biting on his bottom lip that still tastes like Donghyuck — like chocolate cake and ice cream, like dreams and beauty, like heaven and lust.

He stares at Donghyuck and gulps a little. 

"Oh, whoops, I just," Mark shrugs. 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes at him, sliding his tongue over his bottom lip. He walks right to the bed, sitting on top by the pillows. He dims the light in the room, patting the bed next to him. 

"Come here," Donghyuck mutters. 

"You're gonna go to sleep?" Mark asks, a pang of worry rising in his chest. 

"Well I'm not gonna kiss you standing up."

Mark wonders. He  _ wonders _ how Donghyuck can sit there and act so bold sometimes. 

For Mark, good flirting comes maybe like a twenty percent chance every couple of hours. If that. 

Mark rolls his eyes and bends down into his own suitcase, grabbing one of his warmer sweaters. If he's going to act bold, if he's going to  _ flirt,  _ he's going to do it like this. 

He throws it to Donghyuck. 

"What's this?" Donghyuck asks. 

"It's my sweatshirt."

"You want me to wear it?" Donghyuck cocks his head to the side. Mark can see the sincerity in his eyes, the blush that creeps up his cheeks. Mark thinks he's beating him at his own game. "You're not trying to get me out of my clothes, but put more on me?"

Mark's eyes widen. 

He takes the sweatshirt and slaps it against Donghyuck a few times. Donghyuck bursts into laughter before he lets Mark steal it back, covering his own face as he falls to the top of the bed. He lies flat on the pillows, head facing the ceiling as he groans. 

"You are so annoying," Mark says, cheeks hot and even hotter through the material of the sweatshirt. 

Donghyuck leans over him, trying to tug it away. 

"I'm just kidding," he pouts. "Come on, I'm just playing."

Mark moves one part of the sweatshirt, coming to look at Donghyuck hovered over him. 

He's seen him like this playfully, but thinking about Donghyuck, Donghyuck's lips, Donghyuck's lips that were just pressed against his moments ago, it all makes Mark's stomach flip and turn to knots again and again. He just bites on his lip, noticing how Donghyuck continues to stare at it. 

"You're so annoying," Mark says again. 

Donghyuck leans down, eyes squinted. 

"Yeah right," he cocks an eyebrow up at him. 

Mark throws the sweatshirt across the room. 

"Go to bed, I've had enough of you for the night."

This time Donghyuck purposely rolls his eyes and groans at him. 

Donghyuck lays his head against the pillow and matches Mark's position, both of them just on their sides, eyes boring into one another. 

Silence calms them down, covers them and brings them to a comfortable landing. 

Mark places his hand forward and rests it against Donghyuck's neck, using his thumb to run along the underside of his eye. He rubs smoothly, pad of his finger going back and forth a couple of times. Mark sees beauty underneath his fingertip, and feels it too. He sees Donghyuck. Everything is warm. The blush on Donghyuck's cheek, the smoothness of his skin. Mark finds every piece of him delicate. 

Somehow, between the gap of a few seconds, Mark finds that the teasing drips into sincerity. He's thumbing over Donghyuck's bottom lip, taking a deep breath as he glances between Donghyuck's eyes and his mouth. 

"Donghyuck," Mark voices out. "I can't stop thinking about you. In so many ways." 

Donghyuck's smile increases. It's shy this time. 

"You know, I kind of thought we would cuddle this weekend, but this? No. I didn't think this would happen."

Mark furrows his eyebrows like he wants — like he needs Donghyuck to come closer. 

Luckily, it seems as though Donghyuck can read him. Because he leans forward and ghosts his lips over Mark's. 

"For the record, every thought I have of you keeps me up for hours, Mark. I want to kiss you so bad."

A hum falls out of Mark's mouth. He inches closer, arches his back until his lips stick to Donghyuck's. 

_ This.  _ This is the feeling Mark has been aching for, lying in bed at nights and dreaming about. 

His tongue swipes out to wet the both of their lips. Only then does Donghyuck hover closer, his breath hot and heavy over the smacking they give each other. A  _ moan  _ and a  _ touch.  _ A  _ bite  _ and a  _ shiver.  _ Mark can feel his thighs wanting to close together at the heartfelt and honest sensation of the way their skin meets. 

"Please," Mark is pulling Donghyuck toward him, trying to hoist him up. 

Once Donghyuck crawls up onto his lap, Mark slams his head back into the pillows, looking up at Donghyuck who is beautiful but needy, hair slung back and cheeks a carmine red. 

Donghyuck hips go flush to Mark's as their mouths meet in another brief, bruising kiss. Donghyuck lowers himself before he licks steadily behind Mark's teeth. He kisses hard, like he's spelling out their past for the both of them, like he's trying to show Mark that he wants everything and more. Like he's  _ been here waiting.  _

Mark slips his calloused yet gentle fingers underneath Donghyuck's shirt, gripping at the bare skin of Donghyuck's back, rising up near the lowest part of his spine. 

It only takes the smallest arch of Mark's back for Donghyuck's teeth to show in the kiss. He presents them and pulls Mark's bottom lip between his teeth, biting down on it as he slows down the kiss between them. 

From there, the sudden emotions between them are yanked tight, and all they taste is each other. 

All they  _ feel  _ is each other. 

Mark recalls the way Donghyuck had reacted to nails against his skin, so with his thoughts buzzing, he takes his nails and moves outward from the center of Donghyuck's back and nearly groans at the way Donghyuck kisses him deeper.

"You do that again and I won't hesitate to keep you up all night," Donghyuck's hand trembles at the side of Mark's face, cupping it before he moves to his hair, hips shifting as he rolls his body down onto Mark's. 

"Oh," Mark screws his eyes shut, scratching harder at Donghyuck's back. "Fuck."

Donghyuck kisses him lightly next, and Mark kisses back with the same passion, the same delicate pattern, knowing to match the pace. 

He notices that Donghyuck's lips don't really make his go numb, unlike people he's kissed before. Those kisses have always felt too rushed, too hard, too much bite. Donghyuck and he are moving quickly, touches moving like flames, but somehow every inch they move, every lick of the flame feels like a renewing warmth between them. 

When Donghyuck pulls away, he sits further back on Mark's waist, looking down at him, chest rising and falling like he can't help it. He gulps hard, shaking his head. 

"You're blushing," Mark points out. "You're blushing so hard, Donghyuck."

Donghyuck slaps Mark's chest playfully and then lets his palm rest there. Mark's hand naturally falls on top of his. 

"Because I am so attracted to you."

"Are you now?" 

Donghyuck scoffs and tosses his head back with a groan. 

"You kiss me once and suddenly you're so much bolder, is that right?"

Mark nods, pushing himself up to his elbows to come closer to Donghyuck. His lips fall open in a way of him asking for something else. He looks up at Donghyuck through his eyelashes. 

"Fuck, you look good," Donghyuck swallows, bending down to catch his lips between his once more. 

Only seconds later does Donghyuck have Mark shifted lower on the bed, both of their hands intertwined above his head. 

He's kissing at his neck, lips solid and wet at the underside of his jaw. Mark's hands start to shift every which way. 

They start in Donghyuck's hair, petting at the back of his neck, lower and lower until he's cupping his nape, palms soon flat and heavy across Donghyuck's back. Then they shift to tug on his hair again as Donghyuck sucks longer and longer near his ear.

"You can't just do that," Mark lifts his knees, chuckling. “That feels so good.”

Donghyuck pushes his knees back down gently.

Mark whimpers out.

"You remind me of like," Donghyuck sucks hard under his ear. "Skies that are so clear. The ones where you never find a cloud. Or like," he bites, Mark trembles, "hot and burning sun on your back."

"Are you sucking poetry on my body?" Mark manages to get out, nails scratching along Donghyuck's body wherever he can manage.

"I'm writing a book on you," his tongue presses flat to Mark's throat. "Telling you how beautiful you are."

"Do you do this all the time?" Mark gasps, hooking his heel around Donghyuck's waist to pull him down against him.

Donghyuck brings their mouths together in a long, heartfelt kiss, passion filled and gentle.

"Maybe," Donghyuck chuckles over Mark's mouth. "Find out?"

"Do more."

"Baby," Donghyuck mutters. "I don't think I could ever stop telling you how beautiful you are."

Every tingling sensation in Mark's body gets cut short. He burns prettily, with passion and desire. He stares up at Donghyuck with his eyebrows furrowed hard. Moments later, his lip trembles desperately. His arms come wrapping around Donghyuck's neck in a hug as he tips him over, sending the younger boy flat on his back.

Mark wants to kiss him silly, do the same for him, write a book on his mouth to tell him how beautiful he is, to tell him how much meaning he has behind each word and each syllable that he means to say.

But he just hugs him tight.

Holds onto Donghyuck with every ounce of strength that he owns inside of him.

Donghyuck giggles against his neck. Mark giggles against  _ his  _ in return _. _

"Wow," Mark says. "You kiss like you have so much to say, it's really impressive."

Donghyuck jabs his finger into Mark's stomach.

"I do have so much I want to say."

Mark brings their foreheads together next, eyes open. He shifts a little, making the eye contact simpler, easier to see each other from the angles they are possessing. This time he leans in like he's been wanting to. Because he feels like he can. And Donghyuck meets him halfway.

"Say it, then," Mark teases him.

"You keep pulling away, dumbass," Donghyuck cups both of his cheeks and pulls him in again, his breath sucking in so deeply.

Mark melts this time.

Donghyuck's lips are pink and reddening by the minute. Mark loves that he's the one responsible for it. He just goes lax in Donghyuck's grip and tries to grab the covers from below them, laughing into Donghyuck's mouth as he fails to bring the comforter over both of their bodies.

This time Mark pulls away completely to bring it over both of them. He pulls Donghyuck against his chest and holds his lips to the top of his head.

"Oh, wait," Mark groans. "Hand me my soda?"

Donghyuck clicks his tongue.

"I'm comfortable."

"And I'm thirsty."

Never did Mark imagine that he'd be tangled like this with Donghyuck, emotions curling together and bitterness of their friendship intertwining with it all.

The condensation drips down Donghyuck's wrist as he carries it across the bed to Mark.

"Don't spill it, please."

"It's already spilling."

This time Donghyuck rolls his eyes, holding the drink for Mark as he tips it back into his throat. He keeps his eyes squeezed shut, shivering slightly from the touch that Donghyuck wraps him in.

Once they're comfortable again, Mark finds their silence overcoming them once more, keeping them huddled together with warmth. He rubs his hand at the base of Donghyuck's hip, as Donghyuck stays with his back turned away from Mark.

Mark's eyes are blinking lazily at the window, where he yet again watches the droplets of rain slide down like they're racing each other.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Mark whispers against the shell of Donghyuck's ear.

No one says another word for a while.

Mark almost thinks that Donghyuck is asleep. He probably would be if it weren't for the fact that he is playing with Mark's fingers, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss at his knuckles every few seconds.

"Sure," Donghyuck bites on the tip of Mark's finger. "Mark, we can talk about this. Do you enjoy kissing me?"

"You know I do."

"You didn't say that actually," Donghyuck corrects him. "You just told me I was a good kisser."

"Oh."

Donghyuck snickers and keeps his back to Mark's front. He just twists his face until he can get a glimpse of Mark's chin.

Looking at him like this makes Mark's heart soar.

"Man, I like you so much," Mark admits.

Donghyuck's eyes widen slightly before he smiles like he's just heard the best news of his life. He tugs his bottom lip between his teeth before he shakes his head and detaches Mark's hand with his own so he can flick his forehead.

"Your love confessions, Mark Lee," Donghyuck puffs air out through his nose. "You're so funny to me. I've been telling you that I love you since I was young, but do you know what it's like to fall in love? Cause I do."

Underneath Donghyuck's sight, under his touch, Mark feels special.

"Stop trying to one-up me, Donghyuck, I swear," Mark shakes his head. "I love you. I always have. But falling in love?"

He strokes his hand along the stretch of skin that shows by Donghyuck's neck, coming up to his cheek. He cocks an eyebrow as Donghyuck rolls his eyes.

Mark licks his lips, "yeah. I am in love with you. It’s been a while."

Donghyuck lips turn into a straight line, hiding the smile he wants to bloom out into. Then he turns to his pillow, slipping out of Mark's grasp to shout giggles, feet kicking crazily into the sheets.

When Mark tries to turn him, he doesn't budge.

"I will never look at you again," he groans. "I am so shy. Never."

"Kiss me, Donghyuck."

"Shut up!"

"Kiss me."

Donghyuck shoots up and cups Mark's cheeks, planting his lips right on his again, not stopping until the sun rises again.

  
  


—

  
  


When Mark wakes up, the sun is out.

Donghyuck isn't cuddled into his side but sprawled across the sheets, one of his legs over the comforter, skin looking soft and smooth over it. Mark wants to reach out and run his fingers over Donghyuck's calf, but he chooses not to wake him up when he looks this comfortable.

He flushes when he sees the kiss shaped bruise that sits at the side of Donghyuck's knee.

_ God, he's beautiful.  _

Mark recalls kissing him until both of them were lazily touching in each other's arms, until their hands were getting stuck in each other's hair, until the sun started to rise in the distance. Mark had placed his finger between their lips and told Donghyuck that they should get some sleep before it gets too late.

Before he had known it, both of them were out cold.

Now as he wakes up and sees the sun kissing Donghyuck's cheeks, he just grins. He lets the sun take care of him for a little while.

One thing that stops him in his tracks as he slips his shoes on is the fact that Donghyuck is dressed warmer, in  _ Mark's sweatshirt  _ that Mark had been trying to get him to wear all night. 

Mark bites down on his lip and does a little spin with his chin toward the ceiling, his head filling with the butterflies that haven't left his chest. He fists his hands together and walks to Donghyuck's side of the bed, leaning over to press the faintest kiss to the top of his head.

He slips out the door as quietly as he can.

The store downstairs isn't too crowded, and Mark keeps his identity hidden as he grabs two coffees and a couple of pastries.

When he returns, Donghyuck is still knocked out, this time in a different position on the bed, closer to Mark's side.

Mark wonders if he had woken up and realized that he wasn't there.

Soon enough, Donghyuck stirs awake.

It's only then when a rolling makes itself present in Mark's body, letting him know that there is a chance that Donghyuck could easily wake up and regret everything that happened the previous night. There could be a chance that he'll wake up and shrug his shoulders at Mark, awkwardly smile at him and take the coffee that Mark has to offer. Then, he'll make a joke about the two of them.

Mark knows it’s highly unlikely after their conversation, after they whispered desperate  _ “I love you’s” _ into each other’s mouths through the night. But still, he worries.

Mark starts to breathe heavier as he keeps his eyes away from Donghyuck who is already leaning up against the headboard.

"Did you go down there for this?" Donghyuck yawns and rubs his cheek against the side of his arm.

Mark nods his head.

"Yeah," he smiles. "Just wanted to bring you something."

Donghyuck doesn't say anything at first, and for that, Mark almost thinks he has screwed everything up. He almost corrects himself, but Donghyuck chuckles and lifts his sweater paw forward until it touches Mark's chin.

As the moment stops, Mark feels like he's looking through every emotion in Donghyuck's body, stopping just shy of his heart.

Donghyuck leans forward to kiss him quickly, not giving him time to taste anything.

"I would kiss you more but I need to drink this, shower, brush my teeth, and all of that," Donghyuck sits back, the knuckles of his free hand lazily hooked with Mark's. “That’s just a thank you.”

Relief pools in the pit of Mark’s stomach. In his heart.

Mark crawls closer to him on the bed, resting his cheek on Donghyuck's shoulder.

"We have to check out of here in like an hour and a half."

"And if we don't?"

Mark scoffs, pulling away to look at him.

"We have to," Mark pinches his chest. "No one says we can't get another room though."

Donghyuck cocks an eyebrow up at him and sees right beyond the mischief in Mark's eyes.

"You excite me, Mark Lee."

  
  


—

  
  


They make it home by the afternoon, sticking around the hotel to eat lunch together, making jokes and making each other laugh and blush until their faces become too hot.

They separate instantly as soon as they come into the dorms, seeing as Donghyuck is needy to get into the shower. He never got around to it at the hotel since Mark had him on his back and whining into the pillow until their checkout time. 

But now as Mark catches up with Taeyong and Jeno into the late hours of the evening, he finds himself growing more and more tired by the minute. 

Jeno, of course, teases him. He spits out words of,  _ I told you so,  _ and  _ you are literally covered in hickeys, holy fuck. _

Mark doesn’t think they’re that obvious, seeing as Donghyuck’s mouth was more attached to his abdomen, his chest, and his thighs late into last night. Mark knows that Jeno cannot see most of those ones, anyway, so he keeps his mouth shut. 

Later after he showers, after he tucks himself into his own bed again, he finds himself missing the comfort of the hard mattress of the hotel. 

He misses the big bed, the comforter that wasn’t his, pillows that didn’t smell like home. 

Most of all, he misses Donghyuck. 

Mark is thrilled to be back in the safety and comfort of his own place, knowing that he can toss his dirty clothes off to the side and worry about them maybe the day after the next. He’s excited about being able to turn to his noise machine and hit the button until the ambient sounds fill the room, until he settles with the darkness and curls up to his pillows that he is used to. 

Only a few moments later when he’s tucked away in his bed does he hear his door creaking open.

He doesn’t need to turn his head to look, but he does it anyway, coming face to face with Donghyuck dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of loose sweats.

On his face is a grin that Mark isn’t used to seeing. He looks nervous but excited, hands folded together as he comes to climb onto the bed, teeth scraping over his lip repeatedly. 

Mark sits up in bed to move closer, not even hesitating to wrap his hand around Donghyuck’s neck, pulling him down into a chaste kiss. 

Donghyuck melts in it, sighing through his nose. 

“What are we going to do about everyone?” Donghyuck asks as he pulls away. 

“Did you want them to come to my bed, too?”

Donghyuck drops his mouth open.

“No,” he squints his eyes, chuckling. 

“Then, we aren’t going to do anything about it right now,” Mark smirks. 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes and tucks his knees closer to meet Mark’s lips in another tight kiss, cold hand going flat to his cheek. 

“You’re so frustrating when you try to flirt with me,” Donghyuck tells him, forehead soon pressing against Mark’s. 

Mark nods. 

The feeling of their foreheads together again makes Mark’s heart thump louder. But this time there’s no hesitation in the beats. He feels safe now, like he’s being loved and cared for now that he knows Donghyuck is here, closer than ever before.

“I know,” he sucks on his bottom lip. “Seriously, though. We can talk about it later with whoever. No rush.”

Donghyuck nods his head, nose hitting back and forth with Mark’s as his hands fiddle with the hair at the back of his neck.

“Can I stay? Kiss you for a while?” Donghyuck runs his finger over Mark’s hair. 

Mark hums. 

“We’ll have to be quiet.”

“I said kiss you, not fuck you, Mark.”

Mark goes red. He swallows down his breath.

“I swear, one of these days, Donghyuck, I am going to make you completely flustered and you’re not going to be able to get me back.”

“Sure. Okay.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

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